Krista & Rizzo
by zelda49
Summary: [Miracle fic] Krista Collins waited tables for a living, even after graduation, but that didn't stop her from befriending the Olympic Hockey Team when they came to Mineapolis to train. Nor did it stop one player in particular from falling for her.
1. Krista Meets the Boys

_"Krista" is a student at U Minn, and waitress at the bar that is the unofficial hangout of the team. This is the first time she meets the boys…_

Since it was early yet, the bar was only partially filled, and the two waitresses on duty were passing time at the bar chatting with each other and the bartender. Kristina Collins, known to her friends as Krista, was a newly graduated psychology student from the University of Minnesota, still waiting tables in the bar she'd worked at for four years to put herself through school. It wasn't that she didn't want to leave, but in 1979 the economy was in shambles and there wasn't exactly a market for psychology majors. Her co-worker tonight, Sandy Coleman, was a junior English major, and had been at the bar almost as long as Krista.

"What a dull night," Sandy remarked, leaning on the bar. "I miss hockey season. At least then we had some customers…and nice looking ones at that."

"Well, July isn't exactly the best time for hockey, is it? And I haven't seen any of the Olympic boys here either." Krista replied.

"Yeah, where are they? Half the team plays here at the U, so I know they know this place…"

A customer caught Sandy's attention at that moment, and she wandered over to see what he needed. Krista remained near the bar keeping an eye on the rest of the room. She noticed the door opening out of the corner of her eye, and turned to retrieve her order pad.

"Krista!" came the call from across the room.

She turned around to see Robbie McClanahan walking toward her with his arms open.

"Mac! I was wondering when you were going to show up!" She met him halfway and he wrapped his arms around her in a giant bear hug.

"We had some, uh, team chemistry issues we needed to clear up. But I'm here now, and I brought some of the boys along. Are you at the bar tonight?"

"No, I'm waiting tables," she told him.

"Okay, we'll grab some tables and I'll introduce you to everyone."

"Great! Are you having the usual?"

"Uh, yeah, why don't we start with that?" he said.

"Coming right up," Krista replied moving off to the bar. Mac ushered his group over to his favorite table and everyone took a seat.

"They're here!" Sandy exclaimed making her way back to the bar. "But I suppose they're sitting in your section, aren't they?"

Krista smiled. The Minnesota team _always_ sat in her section—they had done it once before a big game and won it, so the superstition continued.

"Oh well," Sandy continued, "there's a really hot baseball player over at table ten."

Krista laughed as she loaded her tray with pitchers of beer. "He's all yours…these guys are going to keep me pretty busy." She picked up the tray and headed over to the boys. "Here's round one, boys, the hockey special…cheap beer and lots of it," she said, placing pitchers around the table.

Mac waited until she finished then motioned her over. "Let me introduce you to the pack here…Neal and Buzzy you know…"

"…the only two I don't get a crick in my neck talking to…" she laughed.

"…Bah and Pav here are from UMD…"

"…more Minne-snow-tons…"

"That's right," Bah replied grinning. "We have to dig tunnels in the snow just to get to practice, even in the spring."

"…Kenny and Wellsie went to Bowling Green…" Mac continued.

"I've been waiting for you two," she said with a wink. "I'm tired of being the only Michigan native here."

"Magic's a Wisconsin boy…" Mac said.

"That's pretty close. Do you know how to play euchre?" she asked.

Mark laughed. "Of course."

"Excellent! A great skater _and_ a euchre player; I like him already!"

"…and then we have the eastern boys…Coxy's from UNH…"

"I'm neutral, I swear!" Coxy blurted out.

"Been hanging out with those Boston boys, haven't you?" Krista smiled. "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you."

"And last, but definitely least, Silky, Rizzo, and OC, are from B_ah_ston University…"

"'76…" she started.

"Is that all you Gophers think about?" Silky interrupted.

Krista laughed. "I knew I'd get somebody with that…"

"There're a few boys who didn't come tonight, but I'm sure they'll be regulars real soon," Mac concluded.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you all," Krista told them. "I'm Krista, and if you guys are in here half as often as the Gophers are, we'll get to know each other very well."

"So how do you know Mac?" Rizzo asked, having witnessed the bear hug greeting.

"Mac and I had a class together a while back, and I helped him…" Mac elbowed her in the side, "…uh, he helped me out when I was having some trouble," she finished with a big toothy grin.

"So you're not together or anything…" OC chimed in suggestively.

Mac and Krista looked at each other and laughed. "No," Krista replied. "Once I saw him wear the same socks for three weeks because he was on a scoring streak. Do you know what socks smell like after three weeks?"

Sheepish looks were exchanged around the table. "Some of you do…" she smiled. "For weeks after the sock thing, I couldn't see him without wrinkling up my nose. That sort of put a damper on anything that might have happened. Anyway, if there's anything you need, just let me know…" Krista gathered up her tray and headed over to check on her other customers.

"How about a date?" OC pipped up.

"Nope," she called, continuing to walk away.

He turned around, confused. "Why not?"

"I don't date guys that are prettier than me," she said over her shoulder, laughing.

"I _like_ her," Bah grinned.

Sandy was waiting at the bar. "How's the baseball player working out?" Krista asked her.

"Very yummy, but not real big on words," Sandy replied. "How 'bout that hockey player?"

"Sandy, I told you, there's nothing going on between me and Mac…"

"No no no, not him, the one that keeps looking over here, with the black hair and the big chest."

Krista turned discreetly to take a look. "Rizzo? I _just_ met him. You're jumping to conclusions again."

"Maybe…"


	2. Krista's Birthday

_The boys have used the bar as a regular hangout, and the newer ones have gotten to know Krista as well as the Gophers already had. This one is about a month after the first meeting, when the team gets together to celebrate Krista's birthday._

"Krista, you should go home," Sandy was saying. "I can't believe Lou even scheduled you on your birthday."

"It's a Friday, Sandy, and we're always busy on Fridays. And besides, somebody's got to deal with the swim team," Krista smiled.

"Aren't the boys coming in tonight at least?" Sandy asked.

Krista frowned slightly. "Magic said they were, but we close in half an hour."

"You know how Coach Brooks is…maybe he really kicked their butts in practice today."

"Maybe," Krista replied, frowning again. It was entirely possible that Herb had put the boys through a tough practice. In fact, _every_ practice was a tough practice, but that had never stopped them from coming in before. She shrugged her shoulders, and grabbed her tray.

"Oh wait! There's Magic," Sandy said.

Krista delivered the drinks she was carrying and walked over to him.

"Hey Krista, happy birthday," he said giving her a gentle hug.

She smiled; Magic was such a sweetheart. "Thank you. Is it just you tonight?"

"No, the rest of the boys are on their way. I just got here first."

"Well, your table just opened up, but we're closing pretty soon," she said.

"I know," he replied with a wink, heading over to the table.

As promised, the boys trickled in, hugging Krista and wishing her a happy birthday. With ten minutes to go until closing, OC was the last one to appear.

"Happy birthday to the lovely Krista," he called as he walked across the room. "You're looking prettier every time I see you."

"Thanks, OC," she said, allowing him to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "So are you."

He laughed and kissed her on the top of the head. "Someday you're gonna go out with me!"

"Mmhm, _sure_ I am. But not tonight, we're closing. Your timing isn't very good today, boys."

"And neither is the weather," OC said to the group with a worried expression. "It's raining buckets right now."

Concerned looks were traded around the table as Krista left for the bar with empty pitchers. The boys heatedly discussed something while struggling to keep their voices from being heard. Rizzo quietly made an excuse to those sitting near him and left the table, disappearing into another part of the bar. When he returned he spoke a few words to the boys, and the concern on their faces turned to smiles.

"Perfect!" shouted Jimmy.

"What's perfect?" Krista asked, rematerializing to clear away the remaining pitchers and glasses.

"Your birthday party!" Pav exclaimed.

"He speaks!" Krista laughed. "But what is he speaking about?"

"We _were_ going to throw you a surprise party at the park just down the road…" Buzzy started.

"…but it's raining…" Bah continued.

"…so instead, your boss has offered to let us celebrate here," Rammer finished.

"Lou is going to let you boys use this place? Lou never does anything unless there's something in it for him…"

"Well, we convinced him," Silky said quickly.

"Really? Wow, guys, I don't know what to say…"

"How about you just have a seat here," Mac said, rising and offering his chair to Krista, which she took, "and we'll take care of you for a change."

"I'll drink to that," she smiled, raising Mac's mug in salute.

Some of the boys scattered to show the last few customers out of the bar, refill the pitchers, and crank up the music. Others went to clear glasses and wipe down the other tables so Krista wouldn't have to. Neal snuck outside and reappeared carrying a cake, complete with candles.

"Cake, too? Oh my…"

"Don't get too excited," Neal warned, "Rizzo baked it. It might taste like meatballs…"

At that, Krista doubled over laughing.

Mac took a chair next to hers and picked up her feet.

"Are you ready for the world famous McClanahan foot rub?" he asked.

"You're not just teasing me, are you Mac? You give the _best_ foot rubs!"

"I wouldn't tease about something this good."

"This day just keeps getting better," Krista grinned.

When the bar was back in order, the pitchers full, and the jukebox blaring, the boys settled into their seats, taking turns waiting on Krista while she cut and served the cake. They talked, laughed, drank and even danced—Sandy had stayed for the festivities, and being one of only two women in a room with twenty-six men, she spent most of her time on the dance floor. Krista also had her share of dance partners once her feet were well rested and rubbed, moving from player to player as each song ended. Near the end of the night, she found herself dancing with Mac while "Don't Fear the Reaper" played.

"So did you have a good time?" he asked her.

"I had a great time," she replied, yelling over the music. "You guys throw great parties."

"You should really thank Rizzo, ya know."

"For the cake," she smiled. "Yeah, it was actually pretty good."

"No, for getting the bar. He's the one that convinced your boss to let us have the place."

"Rizzo was the one? How did he ever pull it off?" she asked.

Mac drew closer and lowered his voice. "He gave up his autographed Bobby Orr rookie card."

Krista's eyes went wide. "For my birthday party?"

Mac nodded, and the song ended. Someone punched up "In the Still of the Night" by the Five Satins on the jukebox.

"Aww, who put that old crap on?" OC complained.

"I did," Rammer answered with surprising force. "Don't change it."

"Okay, man, relax," OC replied.

Krista searched the room and found Rizzo sitting at a table alone.

"May I have this dance?" she asked extending her hand.

He smiled. "Of course." He took her hand and allowed her to lead him out to the floor. She rested a hand on his shoulder; he slid an arm around her waist.

"I understand I owe you a big thank you," she began.

"For what?"

"For the cake," she smiled. The she became more serious, "and for getting the bar."

"Where did you hear that?" he asked.

"Oh, I have my sources. They say you gave up something pretty big so Lou would let us stay."

"Yeah, well, it was no big deal," he said, looking down at his feet.

She placed a hand on his chin and lifted it so she could look him in the eye. "It was to me."

He smiled shyly at her. "Happy birthday."

She smiled back. "Thanks."


	3. After Norway

Here's the third little snapshot of Krista & Rizzo…this one takes place right after the boys return to Minnesota from Norway, about a month after her birthday party.

It was early afternoon, and the place hadn't opened yet. Krista stood behind the bar wiping out mugs and pitchers in anticipation of the evening rush. Over the years, she had mastered the skill of reading while working by laying textbooks out on the bar. Since graduating, though, there was little need for textbooks, so she had switched to novels. She had one out now, and didn't see the door open.

Rizzo was halfway across the room before she noticed him. "You're a little early, aren't you?" she asked smiling.

He returned her smile tiredly. "Is it okay that I'm here? I mean, I know the bar isn't open yet…"

"It's fine," she told him. "Lou might not be the most generous boss, but as long as I'm working he won't care."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. And I could use the company, too. This book kinda sucks," she said putting it on a shelf behind the bar. He took a seat on a stool in front of her. "So how was Norway?" she asked.

"Pretty bad," he replied putting his head down on the bar.

Krista put down the mug she'd been cleaning and reached over to him. "What happened?" she asked gently touching his head.

"Herbies," he said, face still planted on the bar, "lots of 'em."

"Oh boy," she mumbled, stroking his hair. "Why?"

"We weren't ready to play," he told her, sitting up and shaking his head a little. Her hand slid across his cheek and back to the mug. "So after the game he kept us on the ice doing herbies for an hour."

"After a game?"

"And a practice—we practiced right after we got off the plane." He sighed and put his head back down on the bar. "We practiced again today when we got back."

"No wonder you look so terrible," she smiled, playing with his hair again. "Why aren't you at home sleeping?"

He looked up at her, his head still resting on his arms. "I wanted to see you."

She touched his cheek again and looked down into his eyes, not knowing what to say.

After a moment, he sat up and took her hand in his. "I should go," he said.

Krista didn't want him to leave, but having just told him how awful he looked, she couldn't ask him to stay. Instead she just nodded.

"Some of the boys were saying they wanted to come out here tonight, after they get some sleep," he told her. "But it might be a small crowd."

"Well, if you feel up to it," she said, "I'll be here."

He squeezed her hand and smiled a little less tiredly before turning to leave. She picked up the mug she had been cleaning and finished wiping it down, watching him walk out the door.

* * *

"Weekends are so _brutal_," Sandy said, slowly clearing bottles and glasses from a table.

"That's what you get for working at a bar," Krista said with a small smile, loading up her tray with empty pitchers.

"How can you possibly be in a good mood? Aren't you tired?"

"I just worked ten hour shift on a Saturday night where _three_ fraternities decided to pay us a visit, with only one other waitress," Krista replied. "I'm exhausted."

"I can't believe Laura called in sick at the last minute!" Sandy fumed for the hundredth time. "But you have relief waiting for you over there, don't you?" she gestured to a booth along the wall where Magic, Mac, Silky, and Rizzo sat.

"Yeah, small crowd tonight, but maybe I can get Mac to rub my feet."

"Well, you'll find out as soon as we get this place cleaned up…"

The boys sat patiently at their booth, allowed to stay due to the fact that Lou had also called in sick, and waited for the girls to complete their tasks.

When everything was back in order, Krista told Sandy to go home. "I'll get the lights and the locks on my way out—I'm just going to sit with the boys for a minute and rest."

Sandy didn't object, and headed out the door with a wave to the boys. Krista slowly made her way over to their table, worn-out and sore. Rizzo and Silky, sitting together on one side of the booth, slid over to make room for her. There wasn't much, but she took a seat beside Rizzo.

"Woo, Sandy was right. That was brutal," Magic said.

"And you were only here for part of it," Krista told him. "I think I know how you guys felt in Norway."

"That bad?" asked Silky.

"Oh yeah."

"Come on, give me your feet," Mac told her.

"I can't, I'll fall if I pick them up off the floor," she said.

"I'll hold on to you," Rizzo said wrapping a strong arm around her.

Securely held, she allowed Mac to lift her feet into his lap and remove her shoes.

"You're getting spoiled," Silky said.

She smiled wearily and rested her head on Rizzo's shoulder. "I know."


	4. Christmas

_Krista wasn't able to fly home to see her family for Christmas, so the boys invited her to their celebration…_

"Your girl left these at my place," Mac was saying as Silky opened the box, "with some, uh, milk and cookies."

"Unbelievable," Silky mumbled, holding the panties and blushing while his teammates hooted and hollered. "Okay, okay, my turn. Come here, Krista." He reached for a small white box that was lying on the table, and looked at where Krista was standing with Magic near the entrance to the kitchen. "Come on, it won't be as bad as mine," he smiled.

Krista smiled back and rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. "All right, all right," she said, walking over to Silky.

"We wanted to get something for our favorite waitress for putting up with all our crap."

Krista laughed. "It must be the keys to a Porsche, then."

"Noooo, but this one you have to open with Rizzo."

"With Rizzo? How come?" she asked.

"You'll see when you open it," he told her.

Krista looked across the room at Rizzo, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, but he seemed as clueless as she was. So, with a shrug of her shoulders, and an ominous glance at Silky, she walked around the table to where Rizzo was sitting.

He rose as she approached, and smiled shyly at her, an expression which she returned oblivious to the winks and nudges being traded around the table. It was a well known secret among the boys that Rizzo was pretty smitten with Krista, and all were sure she harbored the same feelings, but so far nothing passed friendship had developed between the two.

"You don't know anything about this?" she asked when she reached him.

"I'm as in the dark as you are," he laughed.

"Oh boy. This is going to be interesting then," she said, grinning. "Shall we?"

"You do it," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "It's your present."

She nodded, and turned her attention to the box in her hand. It was about the size one might expect of a box that contained a large pin or other piece of jewelry, and had a bright red bow on the top. Mercifully, it was not taped shut, so she lifted the top off and peeked inside.

"What is it?" Rizzo asked.

She threw her head back and laughed. "This is why I had to open it with Rizzo!"

"What is it?" he asked again.

"It's mistletoe."

At that the boys went crazy. Rizzo blushed crimson and looked down at Krista, who looked up at him, still giggling.

"I believe there's a tradition involving mistletoe at Christmas…" Jimmy began before being interrupted.

"Kiss her!" shouted O.C.

"Yeah, Rizzo, kiss her!" Bah urged.

"Come on!" yelled Mac.

Rizzo turned to face Krista, his arm slipping from her shoulders to her waist. She turned into him as well, sliding her hands up to his shoulders, and stopped giggling. He looked into her bright blue eyes, she into his dark brown ones. They shared another shy smile as he leaned in and kissed her softly. His arms tightened around her waist, hers around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair as their lips drew apart.

"Yeah baby!" It was O.C. again, and his exclamation touched off whistles and catcalls from the rest of the team. Coach Patrick laughed, and even Herb smiled through the commotion. Krista and Rizzo grinned at each other.

Suddenly becoming conscious of how many people were in the room, Krista turned in Rizzo's arms. "Thanks boys," she said. "_Best_ Christmas present I ever got."

The team applauded, and Krista moved to head back to her place in the kitchen entryway.

"Sit here with me," Rizzo told her, leading her over to his chair and pulling her down on his lap. She smiled agreement, and leaned back against him, settling into his arms.

Jimmy, in his Santa suit, rose from his chair near the Christmas tree. "We still got two more presents to open up…"


	5. Snowflakes and Teddy Bears

_I had been trying to figure out what the cute little nickname Rizzo had for Krista was, and this is what finally popped out of my head. It takes place a couple of days after Christmas, the night before the boys leave for their first road trip since Krista & Rizzo's first kiss._

"What are you doing here?" Krista asked as Rizzo entered the bar.

"With your roommate visiting her family for the holidays, I knew you'd have to walk home from work tonight," he told her, shyly sliding an arm around her shoulders.

"It isn't that far, I'd have been okay."

"But it's December in Minnesota," he said. "It's three degrees outside."

"We have winter in Michigan, too," she said snuggling up against him. "And it isn't exactly warm."

"Well, I'm here, and I'll take you home." He kissed her lightly on the top of the head and smiled to himself. They had spent six months as just friends, but only a few days as more than friends. He wasn't used to the fact that he could do that now.

"Okay," she said, seeing his smile and mirroring it. "I'm all finished here, just let me get my coat."

She disappeared into the backroom of the bar and returned with her coat. Rizzo helped her put it on and walked her out to the car, opening doors for her along the way. He climbed into the driver's seat, buckled his seatbelt, and turned the key.

Nothing happened.

"Oh no."

"What is it?" she asked.

He turned the key again. Nothing. "Damn it! The car died!"

Krista laughed. "It's all right," she said, reaching over and rubbing his shoulder.

"I wanted to drive you home so you wouldn't be cold…"

"Well you can walk me home and warm me up when we get there," she grinned.

The pair got out of the car and headed to Krista's apartment. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, still annoyed. She looped her arm through his, resting her gloved hand where his bicep would be under his thick winter coat.

"Honey, it's okay, really…"

He stopped walking and looked at her curiously. "Did you just call me 'honey'?"

She smiled. "I think I did, yeah."

"Are we…do we do that?"

"I don't know," she replied, thinking. "Do we want to do that?"

He looked down at her, and his smile returned. "Yeah, I think we do…sweetheart."

She laughed, and they started moving again. They walked along in contented silence for a while before the sky opened up and it started to snow.

"Oh great," he mumbled

"Come on, I know you have snow in New England," she said, squeezing his arm.

"Yeah, but now we'll be cold _and_ wet."

"Snow isn't so bad. It's better than rain…"

Large feathery snowflakes floated down, and Rizzo watched them collect in Krista's hair and eyelashes. "We're going to be covered in it by the time we get to your place," he told her with a hint of a smile. "You already are."

"I know. I'm just one giant snowflake…"

That made him smile, and he brushed his free hand over her hair. "Maybe, but you're _my_ snowflake."

It was her turn to smile shyly, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Krista's building. "Come on upstairs," she told him, "and thaw out before you head home."

He looked up into the snow still falling from the sky. "Okay."

They climbed the stairs to her second floor apartment and unlocked the door, shaking off snow and unzipping jackets. Krista took the coats into the bathroom and hung them up over a heating vent to warm up and dry out a little. When she came back she joined Rizzo, who was sitting on the couch, and cuddled up against him.

"I can't believe we have a road trip so soon," he said, putting his arm around her.

"Herbie wasn't thinking we'd have our first kiss at Christmas when he made the schedule," she smiled.

That thought made Rizzo laugh. "I guess not. But I spent six months wondering if we were going to be together, and now that we are, I'm going away for a week."

She rested a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath it. "I know. I'm going to miss you the whole time you're gone."

He squeezed her gently, and rose from the couch.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have something for you," he replied. "But it's in my coat pocket." He returned to his place beside her, holding a tiny stuffed animal. "This is for when I'm gone," he told her, giving her a small teddy bear. "So you have someone to cuddle and hold onto when you miss me—a little teddy bear to keep you company while your big teddy bear is away."

"Oh honey, that's so sweet…"

He smiled broadly, drawing her close to him. She laid her head back on his shoulder and slid her arms around him.

"Is it okay if I cuddle my big teddy bear until he leaves?" she asked running a hand over chest.

He took her hand in his and kissed it gently, smiling. "I think that would be all right."


	6. First Date

_This one happens sometime shortly after the Christmas installment—it's their first official date._

Rizzo was sitting at their usual table with Buzzy, OC, and Bah watching Krista serve drinks to another table with a small smile on his lips. She emptied her tray and took it over to the bar, where she handed it, along with her apron, to the bartender, then walked over to the boys' table.

"Hey boys," she called as she approached. She touched Rizzo's cheek and kissed him softly.

"Hi," he said shyly, sliding his arm around her waist and easing her onto his lap.

"Hey Krista," the other three said, suppressing smiles.

"How was practice today?" she asked.

All four groaned.

"That good, eh? About how my shift is going, too."

Rizzo rubbed her back lightly, and Bah, Buzzy, and OC exchanged looks.

"So what's on tap for tonight?" Buzzy asked.

"Probably just some TV," Krista replied, absently playing with Rizzo's hair.

"You two aren't going out?" Bah asked, surprised.

Rizzo shook his head.

"All right, I'm the obnoxious one_, I'll_ ask," OC piped up. "You guys have been together for a couple of weeks now…why haven't you gone out on a date?"

Krista and Rizzo looked at each other.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess we just never really thought about it."

"Yeah," Rizzo added, "We see each other every day."

"Sure, here at the bar," Buzzy said. "Or at home…"

They chatted for a few more minutes before Krista's break was over. She rose from Rizzo's lap running her hand over his shoulders. He caught it and kissed it, smiling as she walked back to the bar. OC, Buzzy, and Bah looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"It's a good thing you can cook, Rizzo," OC told him, "or we'd leave you in a snow bank somewhere to cool off."



The next afternoon, Rizzo stopped by the bar after practice. Krista was taking chairs down from the tabletops.

"Hey there," she said as he walked over. "This is a nice surprise."

He leaned down and kissed her gently, resting his hands on her hips and smiling a little nervously. "I won't keep you long," he said, "I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Okay," she replied.

"Will you go out with me tonight?"

"Is this because of what OC said yesterday?"

Rizzo shook his head. "He only got me thinking. The only time we see each other is here, at my place, or at your place." He pulled her closer and looked into her eyes. "I want to take you out somewhere."

"Honey, neither one of us has the money…"

"You let me worry about that," he interrupted. "You work an early shift tonight, and I don't have a game for a couple of days." He brushed his hand against her cheek. "I thought tonight would be a good night for our first date."

She smiled. "I'm not going to say no to that."

"Good, I'll pick you up after work." He kissed her again and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" she called. "Where are we going? I won't have time to change!"

"It's a surprise…" he called back from the doorway. "And you don't need to change."

True to his word, Rizzo appeared at the bar just as Krista's shift ended holding a red rose. "For my beautiful girlfriend," he told her, blushing a little.

"That's the first time you've ever called me that," she smiled, feeling her heart flutter. She took the rose he offered and kissed him hello.

"Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

He helped her put her coat on and led her out to the car, but refused to tell her where they were going. In just a few minutes time, they pulled up in front of the ice rink the team called home.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"You'll see."

Rizzo opened the car door for her and took her hand. He fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked a door along the side of the building.

"Close your eyes," he told her.

She looked at him suspiciously, but trusted him, so she closed her eyes.

He led her through the building to the little hallway that ran between the dressing room and the ice. "Okay, open 'em."

She opened her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw. There were no lights on overhead, but the entire rink was lit. A step closer revealed candles set at intervals all the way around the ice on the ledge formed by the dasher boards outside the Plexiglas.

"Wow," Krista breathed, turning toward Rizzo.

He smiled at her expression. "You were right this afternoon. Neither one of us has much money, but I wanted us to have a good first date—something we'd remember. The rink manager let me borrow the key, but he couldn't give us lights…"

"…so _you_ gave us lights," she finished. "Oh, sweetheart, it's beautiful!"

"There's a pair of skates for each of us over on the bench," he continued, grinning. "Mine for me, and Pav's for you. Hopefully they fit."

They did fit, and the two of them spent hours skating together and enjoying each other's company. At one point, Rizzo noticed that, for all the exercise they were getting, Krista was shivering.

"Cold?" he asked skating up behind her and wrapping his strong arms around her.

"A little," she replied. "We don't have any heat either, do we?"

"Well, we have heat, but not much." He let her go long enough to unbutton the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing over his t-shirt and draped it around her shoulders.

She smiled softly, and leaned back against him. The shirt smelled of his cologne, and she closed her eyes as she breathed it in. "This is the best first date I've ever been on," she told him.

"Me too," he agreed, turning her around and leaning down to kiss her.

She slipped out of his arms and threw him a playful look. "You'll have to catch me if you want to kiss me," she said, skating away.

He laughed and took off after her. He might have been the hockey player, but she was the better skater and eluded his grasp several times. Finally, though, he cornered her against the boards, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Gotcha," he smiled.

"Yeah," she smiled back, "I guess I have to give up."

His lips found the base of her neck, and slowly worked their way up to her ear. She was rather ticklish, and giggled a little at first, but feeling of his arms around her and the sensation of his warm lips on her skin quickly overpowered every other thought. She closed her eyes, and her hands moved of their own volition, one resting on his chest while the other ran through his hair. He caressed her cheek, tilting her face toward his and kissing her deeply.

"Mmmmm…" the sound was out of her before she knew it.

Rizzo paused for a moment, with a pleased expression on his face. "You've never made that noise before…"

"You've never kissed me like that before," she grinned, her lips almost touching his.

"So it was good?" he asked, brushing a lock of hair from her face.

"It was great," she said, rubbing the back of his neck lightly. "We'll definitely have to try that again."

He laughed and kissed her again, a slow, intense kiss that made her heart pound and her toes curl.

"Wow," she whispered looking up into his eyes. "Does anyone else know how amazing you are?"

He whispered back, "I'm only amazing because I have you."


	7. Goodbye

_This one follows the Christmas scene—Krista and Rizzo are now a cute and adorable couple; he comes to the bar to see her after practice every day when the boys aren't away for a game, she comes and sits on his lap during her breaks, and they generally give everyone around them toothaches. This one happens slowly, so read it slowly…_

Six a.m. was way too early for Krista to be awake on any other day. She was the most senior waitress at the bar, and the only one not in school, so she closed almost every night and was more accustomed to being asleep at this hour. But the boys were leaving for New York today, and she wanted to see them off.

They were loading gear onto the bus when she rounded the corner of the building they spent so many hours practicing in. She stopped and watched them carry bags and suitcases out the back entrance of the rink and felt herself getting a little misty. She wasn't a crier, but this was a unique situation. Twenty of her best friends were Olympic athletes on their way to the Games to represent their country…

"Are you okay Krista?"

"Oh, Pav," she said sniffing a little. "Where did you come from?"

"Front door's locked," he replied. "I came around the side of the building just like you did."

"Sneaky," she smiled. "The quiet ones always are."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm, uh, just coming down with a little cold I think…"

Pav nodded knowingly and squeezed her shoulder. "I better help with the gear."

"Come here," she said hugging him, "in case I don't get a chance to before you leave…"

He hugged her back. "Come on, the boys are waiting for you."

She headed toward the bus, stopping along the way to say good-byes, give hugs, and wish luck to the players. She made it through about half of the team before spotting Rizzo. He saw her at the same time and walked over, wrapping his arms around her, winter coat and all.

She pulled him close to her and kissed him hello. His smile was still shy, even after a month of hello kisses, and she couldn't resist kissing him again.

"Maybe we could go somewhere else?" he asked.

"Our first kiss was in front of the whole team, including the coaches _and_ Doc," she laughed.

"Yeah, I know…"

"Okay." She nodded agreement with his unspoken thought. He led her inside the building and over to an out of the way corner.

"I'm glad you came," he told her, brushing a lock of brown hair off her cheek.

"I wasn't going to let you skip town without saying good-bye," she replied taking his hands and smiling.

"Well, I tried…" That shy smile reappeared on his lips as he looked down at her, the smile that always made her heart flutter. She rested her forehead on his shoulder, and his arms went around her. He held her gently, not speaking for a few moments.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him quietly, sliding her arms around his neck and touching his cheek.

He kissed her forehead. "I couldn't have gotten this far without you."

She ran her fingers through his hair as his arms tightened around her. He leaned in and kissed her softly, wondering how he was ever going to be able to let her go.

She sighed and drew back after a few minutes. "You're going to miss the bus," she told him.

"Yeah, I should probably go," he answered reluctantly. "You're going to be there, though, right?"

"Yep. I started saving for this trip back in June. You guys just make the medal round, and I'll meet you there," she smiled.

He kissed her again, holding her tightly against him. Before releasing her, he touched his lips to her cheek and whispered in her ear, "I love you."

She smiled the smile she saved only for him. "I love you, too."

He took her hand and kissed it lightly, walking her back out to where the team was waiting. They parted about halfway to the bus, squeezing each others' hands. Good-byes were said, hugs exchanged, and the remaining gear loaded.

A hand touched her shoulder as she watched the boys pile onto the bus.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Gail Schneider asked, having come to see her husband off.

"How have you and Buzzy done this four times now?" Krista asked her. "We're going to see them in a week and a half and I can hardly stand it."

Gail smiled. "I know, but if you think it's bad now, wait until we get to Lake Placid. You're going to be a nervous wreck during the games."

Krista sighed as the bus pulled away, leaving the two women standing alone in the morning cold.


	8. Soviet Game

_This one is all about the Soviet game—Gail Schneider and Krista have flown to Lake Placid for the medal round…_

Krista fidgeted all the way through dinner. Gail just smiled. She remembered being the Nervous Girlfriend when she and Buzz were dating. You could be the calmest person in the world, but there was something about seeing the man you loved playing in an important, and sometimes dangerous, game that turned you into a wreck.

"I don't know what's the matter with me anymore," Krista finally said. She hated being the Nervous Girlfriend.

"Just anxious," Gail replied.

"Yeah, but it's getting worse."

"Well, the games are getting bigger, and you haven't seen the boys in two weeks."

Krista frowned.

"Hey, it's okay. You should have seen me during the '76 Games when Buzz was in Innsbruck…I didn't sleep for three days at one point," Gail laughed.

"But I'm not normally like this," Krista protested.

"I know. I wasn't either. And Buzz was so composed the whole time he was there. It's almost like I got nervous enough for both of us."

Krista just nodded, unconvinced.

"Did you bring the bear he gave you?"

"Yes." The night before the team's first road trip after Christmas, Rizzo had given her a small teddy bear to hold onto when she missed him. "A little teddy bear to keep you company while your big teddy bear is away," he had told her. She smiled at the memory.

"Just hang on to that…give it a little squeeze when you start to get jittery."

"And that really helps?"

Gail fished around in her coat pocket and took out a tiny stuffed bee. "This little guy has been through two world championships and is working on his second Olympics."

Krista laughed. "Buzzy gave you a bee?"

Gail laughed with her. "Cute, isn't it? He thought it would make me smile when I got a little over-anxious, and it did. Still does." She looked at her watch. "Ready to go meet the boys?"

Krista was still laughing. "Yes."

◊◊◊

Buzzy and Rizzo were waiting for the girls a few blocks away from the Athletes' Village, holding flowers and trying to contain their excitement.

Rizzo saw them first. "There they are!" He headed in the direction of Krista, trying not to look like a little kid at Christmas.

Krista met him halfway and threw her arms around him. "I missed you so much!" she said.

"I missed you too," he told her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her gently. "Oh, uh, these are for you," he said letter her go momentarily to give her the flowers.

"They're beautiful," she smiled, taking the flowers with one hand and his arm with the other for the walk back to where Buzzy and Gail stood.

"So what's the plan?" Rizzo asked as they approached, walking tall and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"We were thinking maybe you two would like to spend some time alone," Gail replied. "I know I would like to get re-acquainted with my husband."

"I can live with that," he said looking at Krista.

"Works for me," she nodded.

"Okay, then we'll see you guys later," Buzz said, "…maybe." He put his arm around Gail, and they headed off down the street.

Krista and Rizzo looked at each other. His patented shy smile spread across his lips, and he reached for her with his free arm. "So we have a whole evening all to ourselves," he said.

She returned his smile. "Yeah…what do you want to do?"

"Why don't we walk around a little until we figure it out?" he suggested.

She stretched up and kissed him again. "Okay."

They walked arm-in-arm all around Lake Placid, talking some, but mostly just enjoying each other's company. Long before either was ready, though, it was time for Rizzo to go.

"I can't believe we walked around in the cold for three hours," he said, glancing at his watch.

"I can't believe I have to say good-bye to you again," she replied, a little distressed.

He stopped walking and pulled her close to him. "Only for a little while," he told her. "We get to see each other tomorrow."

"I'll see you from the stands, but that's about it." She sighed. "That was kind of whiny, wasn't it? I guess I'm just a little worried about the game tomorrow." She shook her head as if to clear out the cobwebs. "I don't know why I'm so anxious—I should be stronger for you."

He touched her cheek tenderly. "You don't always have to be tough, you know. You spent seven months comforting me—when I had a bad practice, when I got back from Norway, when Herb threatened to cut me…you _were_ strong for me. Let me be strong for you now."

She looked up at him and smiled warmly. "My teddy bear," she said. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd still be fending off OC," he laughed. "Speaking of teddy bears…"

"Angelo made the trip," she said. "He'll be with me at the rink tomorrow."

He raised an eyebrow. "Angelo?"

"That's what I named him…didn't I tell you?"

"No," he shook his head. "Why Angelo?"

"I have a thing for Italians."

◊◊◊

The first two periods had been maddening; the Soviets scored twice in the first, answered each time by the Americans, including one by Buzzy. In the second, there had been a scary moment when Jimmy Craig was run down by a hard-charging Soviet forward and didn't get up right away. Fortunately, Jimmy was okay. Unfortunately, the Soviet forward had scored.

And so the score stood, 3-2 almost halfway through the third period. Krista and Gail sat together in the stands, feet tapping nervously, clutching their small stuffed animals. Ten thousand people were yelling "U-S-A! U-S-A!", clapping their hands and stomping their feet. A Soviet player slashed Davie Christian, and the Americans sent out their power play unit. The girls looked at each other, thinking the same thought: here we go…

The first three quarters of the power play produced nothing. The US team was getting shots on the Soviet goalie, but he turned them all away. With sixteen seconds left before the Soviet player came out of the penalty box, Silky carried the puck out of his own zone. He peeked to his right and saw Magic flying up the wing, got the puck inside the Soviet blueline, then passed it off to the former Wisconsin Badger. Gail and Krista held their breath without realizing it. Magic skated the puck in toward Myshkin, paused for what seemed like an eternity, and let it fly.

Score!

The red light flashed on and the arena erupted. Krista and Gail jumped out of their seats and threw their arms in the air screaming. The game was now tied, 3-3.

Only minutes later, Buzzy came off the ice on an early change, and Rizzo jumped on. Both girls were watching intently as he hurried to get into the play. Pav had the puck in the neutral zone, and passed it to an open Rizzo, who had a Soviet defenseman bearing down on him. Rizzo took the pass cleanly, used the Soviet defenseman as a screen, and fired the puck toward the net.

SCORE!

Ten thousand people leaped to their feet, yelling, clapping, and making more noise than either Krista or Gail had ever witnessed before. The girls threw their arms around each other, jumping up and down in excitement. The boys piled off the bench, mobbing Rizzo on the ice. The Americans were ahead, 4-3.

But there were still ten minutes left to go, and the Soviets were at their best in third periods. Every person in the arena remained standing, clapping, chanting, yelling, and cheering on the boys. The puck dropped, and the Soviets went to work. They rushed the puck up the ice, but Jimmy turned them away. They regained possession and got off a few more shots, but Jimmy held firm. The boys banded together and played _their_ game, but the Soviets kept coming. The clock could not move fast enough.

With about five minutes left to go, Krista was practically beside herself. She had never been a patient woman, and this was agony. Gail, too, was pretty unnerved, biting her lip and gripping her bee tightly. She reached over with her free hand and clasped Krista's, giving it a squeeze. Krista smiled at her weakly and squeezed back.

"Five minutes," Gail yelled over the noise.

"Five minutes," Krista repeated to herself. "Just hang on for five minutes, boys…"

Herb was pacing behind the bench. They boys were all on their feet, yelling instructions and encouragement to each other, changing lines quickly to keep from getting too tired. The Soviets pressed, but the defense held and Jimmy stood tall. Two minutes left; the Soviets had control of the puck and were working it around the Americans' zone. Tikhonov paced in front of his players, screaming at them as they skated passed, and frantically rubbing his eyebrows. Shots came from everywhere. Jimmy stopped them all. One minute left; Gail and Krista clutched each others' hands and began to think their boys were actually going to pull this off. Thirty seconds…twenty…ten…

"_Do you believe in miracles? YES!"_


	9. Celebration

_I think I remember reading somewhere that after the '80 team won the gold medal, there wasn't any place for friends and family to celebrate, so some hotel opened up a reception room and threw a big bash. Or, maybe I'm thinking of something not at all related to hockey, I'm not sure. In any case, that's the premise here..._

The girls had made it through both games of the medal round in tact and with no heart problems. The boys had come through with flying colors, not only beating the vaunted Soviet team, but also erasing a one-goal deficit and beating Finland for the gold medal.

They were on the ice now, hugging each other, laughing, crying, yelling, and jumping around in celebration. Krista and Gail were doing much the same thing in the stands, celebrating not with teammates, but with people they'd never met, exchanging names and hugs at the same time. Finally the boys managed to gather themselves together long enough to shake hands with the Fins and carry the festivities into the locker room.

Gail and Krista worked their way down to the hallway where the locker rooms were located, but were stopped by a security guard.

"Are you family?" he asked.

"I'm Gail Schneider," she told him, "Buzz's wife."

"What about you?" he asked Krista.

"I'm Mike Eruzione's girlfriend," she replied hopefully.

"You can go," the guard told Gail, "but you have to stay here," he told Krista. "Family only."

"We'll get you in. I'll tell Rizzo you're here," Gail said to Krista, disappearing into the crush of people. She fought her way out again a few minutes later smiling.

"How are they?" Krista asked.

"Ecstatic," Gail replied. "But there's no room in there…that's why they have the family only rule."

Krista's face fell. She had hoped to share at least a little of this with Rizzo.

"But I have good news," Gail continued. "The Marriott Hotel has a reception room that isn't being used, and has offered to open it up for the boys and their guests." She grinned, "Every single one of those boys asked that you be there."

Krista couldn't find any words; instead she just smiled.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Gail said taking Krista's arm. "We can head back to our room and change. By the time we get to the Marriott, the boys should be there, too."

◊◊◊

The reception room was large, with a stage at one end and a banquet table laid out with hastily thrown together dishes at the other. There was even a band to provide music—they had been in town to play at a wedding reception the night before, and offered their services for the Olympic hockey team. Family and friends were milling around, laughing, talking, and getting to know each other. Krista and Gail arrived a few minutes before the boys did, so they wandered through the maze of people looking for someone they knew.

When the team arrived, the entire room broke into cheers and applause. The boys fanned out, looking for parents, siblings, girlfriends, and anyone else who had made the trip to Lake Placid. Buzzy found Gail, and the two of them went to look for his parents, leaving Krista alone, or so she thought. She felt a pair of arms reach around her waist from behind her and warm lips kiss her neck.

She smiled. Even blind and deaf she'd know his touch. "I didn't think I was going to get to see you tonight," she told him.

Rizzo turned her around and pulled her close. "Even if I had to go AWOL, I was going to see you tonight." He kissed her gently.

"It's not every day I get to kiss a gold medalist," she said smiling. "And in the middle of a crowd, too."

"You do now," he laughed. "But maybe not in front of this many people again. Come on, the boys want to say hi, and there's some people I want you to meet…"

He introduced her to his parents, and they talked for a while before his teammates began coming over with _their_ parents and siblings, too. She made time for them all, talking, laughing, even squeezing in a few dances, and Rizzo stood beside her the entire time. He seemed to realize that his moment in the sun would last a while, but that hers wouldn't shine beyond this group of people.

After a while, Krista felt she needed to say a few things to entire room, so when the band took a break, she climbed up on stage with Bah's help and turned on the microphone.

"Hi everyone," she began a little hesitantly. "My name is Krista Collins, and I'm a waitress at the Brown Jug where the boys spent a large majority of their free time while they were in Minnesota. I won't take up too much of your time, but there are a couple of things I wanted to say.

"First, I wanted to thank the Marriott and their wonderful staff for allowing us to celebrate here, together. We have everything we need to have a good time on just a few minutes notice, and that is a major accomplishment.

"Secondly, the boys asked me to thank all of the parents, siblings, girlfriends—or wife in Buzzy's case," she smiled at Gail, "and all the other friends and family members that are here. Every one of them told me they wouldn't be where they are today without your love and support…but none of them wanted to get up on stage and sound that sappy."

The crowd chuckled.

"The last thing I want to say is thank you to the boys. Some of them I've known for a while, and some I only met last July, but they are _all_ family now. You guys have made the last seven months the most enjoyable seven months I've ever had. You're good men, every one of you. Even you, OC," she smiled. "I watched you work hard, look after each other on and off the ice, look after _me_…" she paused, getting a little choked up. "And I'm so proud of you…" She couldn't finish. She switched off the microphone, placed it on the stool the band had been using, and made her way to the edge of the stage where Bah was waiting to help her down. The crowd applauded, and the boys all came forward and hugged her one by one, whispering their own thank-yous and words of encouragement.

Rizzo approached her last. The band had come back on stage and had begun playing "In the Still of the Night".

"May I?" he asked, offering his hand.

She smiled, taking it. "Of course."

He led her out to the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her, brushing the last tear from her cheek. "You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I'm going to be a wreck when you go back to Boston."

"Who says I'm going back to Boston?"

She looked up at him, confused. "You can't stay in Minnesota, the Olympics are over; there's no more training."

"So?"

"So I just figured you'd be going back home…"

"You could come with me," he told her.

"I don't have a job or a place to live out there," she replied. "The Brown Jug isn't much, but it pays the bills until I find something else."

He smiled down at her, turning a thought over in his mind. It had come to him earlier when a reporter had asked him what he was going to do with his life now that the Olympics were over. No, he decided, not yet.

"Then I'll stay in Minnesota…Buzzy and Gail have a spare room, and offered to let me stay with them for a while."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

She pulled him closer to her and kissed him softly. He smiled shyly, and ran his fingers through her long hair.

"I can't leave you now," he told her, "this is the first time I've seen you in a dress…"

She laughed. "And what do you think?"

"I think," he said touching her cheek, "I want to be around for the second time."


	10. Moving

_Yet another installment of Krista & Rizzo…this one is a little while after the Olympics. Rizzo has saved up some money from whatever job he has gotten in the Twin Cities, and has found his own apartment so he doesn't have to stay with Buzzy and Gail. Today is the day he moves in._

"That's the last one," Krista said, carrying a cardboard box out to the truck. "Thank goodness you didn't have more stuff!"

Rizzo laughed. "I could always have my folks send some more things out from Boston…"

"You'll be moving those by yourself," she grinned.

He put the box he was carrying in the back of the truck and took Krista's box, kissing her lightly. "Let me get that," he told her.

"Always the gentleman," she smiled.

Once everything was loaded, the two climbed into the truck and drove over to Rizzo's new apartment.

"Did they deliver the furniture yet?" Krista asked. She had helped him pick out a couch, a bed and a dresser a few days before.

"They were supposed to do it yesterday, so it should be there."

They arrived at the apartment, and Rizzo fished the keys out of his pocket. They each grabbed boxes and headed up the stairs. The keys worked, and the door swung open.

"Very nice," Krista commented, walking in. It wasn't large, but it was clean, newly painted, and in good repair. The furniture had indeed arrived, and was sitting in the living room. "Why don't we move the furniture around first, then we'll bring up the rest of the boxes," Krista continued.

"You've done this before," Rizzo smiled.

"I didn't walk to Minnesota, you know," she told him grinning.

They placed the boxes they had carried up in an out-of-the-way corner and moved the pieces of furniture into their proper places. Then they unloaded the truck and unpacked as many of the boxes as they had energy to tackle.

"You had to get a place on the third floor, didn't you?" Krista grumbled good-naturedly.

"They had one available on the first floor, but I thought we could use the exercise, so I took this one…"

She laughed, collapsing on the couch. "Well, we certainly got a workout, didn't we?"

"Yeah we did. How about some dinner? Hungry?"

"Starving," she confirmed.

The phone company had gotten the line turned on in time, so they ordered pizza. When it arrived, they sat on the floor and ate by candlelight, talking. Out of the blue, she leaned forward and kissed him softly, unable to help herself.

"What was that for?" he asked, smiling.

"Because you're you," she answered. She laughed a little as she pulled away. "This is really hard to do sitting on the floor with pizza in my hands."

He grinned and kissed her back. "It is, isn't it? Why don't we try out the new couch?" They put the pizza in the refrigerator and made their way over to the couch, wrapping themselves in each others' arms and just relaxing. After a while, Rizzo yawned.

"You're tired," she said. "I should go so you can get some sleep. You still have more unpacking to do tomorrow."

"Don't go…stay with me tonight."

"You want me to spend the night?"

"Yes." He smiled sheepishly, "I've never lived by myself before…"

"And you thought we could spend our first night together in your new apartment?"

His expression suddenly changed. "Oh, no, honey, that isn't what I meant…"

"It's okay," she told him, grinning. "You're supposed to be attracted to me."

His smile returned. "_That_ isn't the problem," he laughed. "You are the most beautiful woman I've even known, and I love you _so_ much. I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"I know," she assured him, kissing him again.

"And I, uh…" he hesitated a little.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"I'm Catholic…"

She knew where he was going. "Then we'll wait," she told him. "When we're both ready, it'll happen."

"I just don't want to let you go tonight," he said softly.

She touched his cheek. "I don't want you to let me go."

"Really?"

Krista smiled warmly. "How could I pass up a chance to fall asleep in your arms?"

They picked their way through the living room and into the bedroom, where they rummaged among the boxes for something to sleep in. They ended up splitting the only pajama set they could find, she wearing the top and he in the bottoms.

"Wow, you should wear my clothes more often," Rizzo grinned slipping his arms around her waist.

Her arms went around his broad, uncovered shoulders, and she laughed. "You'd have to find them first…"

Suddenly, he scooped her up in his arms, taking her into the hallway.

"What are you doing?" she asked, still laughing.

"It's our first night together," he told her. "I want to carry you over the threshold." He brought her back into the bedroom and laid her gently in bed, kissing her softly. He turned off the light and climbed in beside her. She snuggled up against him, laying her head on his bare chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I could get used to this," she whispered to him.

He smiled in the darkness, running his fingers over the small of her back. "Me too."


	11. Babysitting

_When last we left the happy couple, Rizzo had decided to stay in Minnesota to be close to Krista until he figured out what he wanted to do with his life and she found a job that was more stimulating than waiting tables. She went home with him to visit his family, and he went home with her to visit her family, but both are still living in Minnesota._

"What's the matter sweetheart?" Krista asked as they walked hand-in-hand through the park. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

"I do," Rizzo told her. He hesitated before continuing, "I was offered a job this afternoon."

"That's great! What's the job?"

"Coaching a high school hockey team," he replied.

"You'd make a terrific coach, and I know that's something you were thinking about," she said.

"It's in Boston..." he started.

"Oh."

"…and I want you to come with me." He stopped and took her other hand. "I won't go without you."

"When do they need you there?" she asked.

"Not until September."

Krista looked into his brown eyes and easily made a decision. "Take it," she told him. "I'll go."

He threw his arms around her. "Really?"

"Yes," she laughed. "I can save up enough money by September to move, and I don't want to be here if you aren't with me."

He looked down at her, smiling his shy I-can't-believe-she's-really-my-girl smile, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I am the luckiest guy in the world," he said quietly, leaning in to kiss her.

"Yes you are," she grinned.



Noah was trying very hard to put the applesauce Krista was feeding him in his hair. Krista was trying very hard to keep him from putting the applesauce in his hair, and was having little success. Rizzo watched her from the kitchen where he was working on dinner.

"We've go this domestic thing down, don't we?" he said smiling.

Krista laughed. "Yeah, I guess we do. We'll have to thank Tracy and Nathan for letting us practice with their son."

"How do you know them again?" he asked.

"Nathan was a hockey player in my hometown," she said, "a goalie for the local junior team, and we went to high school together. I actually introduced him to Tracy when he moved out here."

"And they went where?"

"Just out to dinner and a movie…" she said.

"…which is why we're babysitting tonight," he finished.

She gave up on the applesauce and cleaned Noah up, picking him up out of his high chair and carrying him into the kitchen. He giggled and cooed, and held his arms out to Rizzo.

"He's really quite attached to you," Krista said.

"I've only known the kid for three hours," Rizzo replied, taking Noah from her.

"He knows good people when he sees them," Krista said kissing him lightly. She finished up dinner while Rizzo set the table with Noah in his arms.

After dinner was eaten and the dishes washed, the three of them set up shop on the living room floor. Noah played happily with his toys for a while, before starting to get a little cranky.

"He's getting tired," Rizzo said.

"Yep. Time for a storybook and a bottle. Which one do you want to do?"

"I'll take the storybook," he said. "I'm not sure I can get the bottle right."

Krista smiled. For all his natural abilities with children, he really didn't have that much experience with them. She went into the kitchen to warm up Noah's bottle, mixing the formula with water and placing it in the microwave. She then peaked around the corner to see how the boys were doing. Rizzo was seated on the couch, book in hand, with Noah on his lap. As he was reading, he leaned down and nuzzled the little boy. Krista felt her heart flutter, and thanked God he was hers. The microwave beeped and she removed the bottle, carrying it into the living room and sitting down beside the pair. Rizzo wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling softly.

When Noah started to fidget again, Krista took him and stood up, walking slowly around the living room a bit to give the bottle a little more time to cool off. When he didn't settle down, she decided not to make him wait any longer.

"Want to help me feed him?" she asked Rizzo.

"How?"

"Sit down there on the floor and spread your feet out so I have someplace to sit," she told him.

He found a spot on the floor leaning against the couch, and Krista sat down in front of him, cradling Noah.

"Okay, now put your arms around mine and help me hold him," she said.

Rizzo smiled. No one had to tell him twice to embrace the girl he loved. He slid his arms around hers and helped her support Noah, resting his chin on her shoulder. He felt his heart flutter as he watched her feed the little one, and thanked God she was his.

When Noah fell asleep, Krista and Rizzo quietly rose and put him to bed. They stood beside his crib, Rizzo with his arms wrapped around Krista, watching him sleep.

"He's amazing," she said softly.

Rizzo kissed her neck. "So are you."

She smiled and pulled his arms tighter around her. "I wouldn't be half as fantastic as I am without you, though."

He kissed her neck again and smiled. "I'm glad you're going to Boston with me."

"Me too. I don't know what I'd do without you," she told him.

An idea that had been floating around in his head for months suddenly surfaced, and he couldn't wait any longer.

"Marry me," he whispered in her ear.

She didn't say anything for a moment, trying to absorb his words.

"I love you, and I don't ever want to be apart from you," he continued. "Will you be my wife?" He took her left hand in his and slid a ring on her finger.

She looked at his hand holding hers, and folded her fingers around his, smiling.

"I'd love to."


	12. Anniversary

_Here's the next installment of Krista & Rizzo. They are getting ready to move to Boston, but are still in Minnesota, and are celebrating the anniversary of the day they first met._

"You're still coming over tonight, right snowflake?" Rizzo asked Krista, leaning over the bar.

She smiled. He had started calling her snowflake after they got caught in a storm shortly after their first kiss. It was corny and kind of dumb, but she loved it.

"Of course I'm still coming. How many nights do I get off?"

He took her hand and kissed it gently.

"Besides, I love it when you cook for me," she told him.

His smile grew. "Well, I love to cook for you. When do you get done here?"

"As soon as I finish up the inventory."

"So I'll see you at 6?"

"Yep. I even have a new dress…" she said playfully.

"I get to see you in a dress again? It only took five months!"

And so at 6:00 sharp, Krista stood in front of Rizzo's door in her little black strappy dress, complete with earrings cut in the same shape as the diamond in her engagement ring. She knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

Rizzo was in the kitchen wearing an apron over his shirt and tie as she entered. "Wow," he said softly. "You look amazing."

She walked over to him as he pulled off the apron. "You look pretty fantastic yourself," she smiled, playing with his tie and kissing him hello.

"Dinner's almost ready," he said, kissing her forehead.

"It smells wonderful," she said. "What are we having?"

"Fettuccini alfredo, made from scratch."

"You're going to spoil me. I know you're not going to cook like this when we're married."

He laughed and slid his arms around her waist. "I can't do enough for you," he told her. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

She blushed a little and smiled shyly. He told her that often, but it was sweet every time he said it. "Is there anything I can do?"

He kissed her again, "You can pour the wine."

Krista took the bottle of wine Rizzo had picked out for the evening and a pack of matches over to the table. As she lit the candles and poured the wine, she could here him humming in the kitchen and smiled to herself. He was _so_ adorable, her big teddy bear, and was head over heels in love with her. _I must have been a saint in a former life to deserve him_, she thought.

He brought two plates of pasta out and set them on the table, still humming. She couldn't help but smile again, and when she smiled, he did too, caressing the small of her back. _I can't believe she's really mine_, he thought. He pulled out her chair for her then took his own seat, marveling for the millionth time just how lucky he was.

The pair made it though dinner without getting too mushy, but once the dishes had been cleared Krista got a little sentimental.

"I know we decided not exchange gifts or anything, but I got you something anyway." She pulled a small flat object wrapped in tissue paper from her purse and walked over to where he was standing in the living room. "I was going to give it to you as a wedding present, but I just couldn't wait."

Rizzo took the gift from her. "Sweetheart…"

"Just open it."

He smiled and did as he was told. When he tore the tissue paper away, he found he was holding an autographed Bobby Orr rookie card. He looked down at her incredulously. "Where did you get this?"

"It's the right one, isn't it?" she asked. "That's the one you gave up for my birthday party last summer?"

He nodded. "How did you know?"

"Mac told me that night, and I've been looking for one to replace it ever since."

"It's so expensive…"

"I have a job, and I can spend my money however I please," she told him smiling. "When I found this, I knew I wanted you to have it."

Rizzo put the card down and pulled Krista tightly against him. "Thank you," he told her, his fingers tracing little circles on her bare shoulder.

"You're welcome."

He kissed her softly. When their lips parted, he kissed her cheek, then her hair, and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much."

"I know," she whispered back. "I love you too."

His lips moved slowly down her neck, and she ran her fingers through his dark hair. He slid the strap of her dress down her arm, kissing her shoulder tenderly. She touched his cheek with her fingertips and guided his lips back to hers, kissing him deeply.

He drew back after a moment. Her hand rested on his chest, and she could feel his heart pounding. He leaned his forehead against hers, caressing her back and her hips.

"Be with me tonight," he whispered, breathing hard.

She looked up into his eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked, trying to catch her own breath.

He nodded. "I can always go to confession," he smiled.

"Honey, if you have any doubts…"

"I don't," he told her. "I love you so much, God _has_ to understand."

She stroked his cheek, melting into his arms as he kissed her again. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom while she occupied her hands with his shirt buttons.

Krista awoke the next morning wrapped in Rizzo's arms. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her little black dress on the floor next to his shirt and tie, and smiled. She could still feel the sensation of his hands on her as he helped her out of the dress and his warm skin under her fingers as she slid the shirt off his body.

She shifted a little and felt Rizzo stir beside her. His palm caressed her shoulder and he kissed her neck.

"Good morning," he said softly, smiling.

She laced her fingers through his and pulled his arm back around her, still smiling herself. "Good morning. Have you been awake long?"

"A little while," he replied.

"You've just been laying here with me?" she asked, turning over to face him.

"Yeah…" He brushed a finger over her cheek, and kissed her gently. "Where else would I be?"

"No second thoughts, then?"

"About you?" His arms tightened around her, and she rested her head on his chest. "Not in a million years."


	13. Wedding Plans

_Here's the latest on Krista & Rizzo…this one takes place about six weeks after their anniversary celebration._

Krista arrived at Rizzo's apartment a little early, and when she opened the door she found him talking on the phone.

"Okay…" he was saying. "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem…no, I'll be there…"

He smiled when he saw her, and she walked over to him and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, great, I'll see you then…'bye."

"Everything okay?" Krista asked, noting the strange look on Rizzo's face.

"Yeah…that was the principal at the school I'll be coaching at…" his voice trailed off.

"Honey what is it?"

"They're going to hire a new assistant coach, and they want me to help them with the interviews, since I'm the head coach." He smiled a little at the last part.

Krista smiled too. "Coach Eruzione," she said sliding her arms around his neck and kissing him.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. When he drew away he sighed. "Coach Eruzione needs to be in Boston in two weeks."

"In two weeks? That's earlier than what they told you before."

He nodded, looking a little distressed. "I know. I have to find out if I can move into my new apartment early, call the movers if I _can_ get in there early, change my plane ticket, and I'll have to pack…"

"Sweetheart slow down," she told him, touching his face.

He took her hand in his and absently began playing with her engagement ring. This was something he did often, but this time it triggered a whole new set of worries. "We have to plan the wedding, too," he remembered. "We haven't even set a date yet, or figured out what _state_ we're getting married in…"

She pulled him closer to her and kissed him again. "Relax," she told him. "We'll get everything figured out."

"How can you be so calm?" he asked.

"Because one of us has to be. In two weeks when you leave, I'll be the one breaking down." She took his hand again and kissed it. "Come on, I have an idea…" she said, leading him into the bedroom.

He relaxed a little and smiled. "I think I like this idea already."

She laughed. "It isn't that kind of idea. But I do want you to lay down on the bed."

He raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told, stretching out on what had become his side of the bed. She curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest.

"Now close your eyes," she continued as his arms went around her, "and picture our wedding day."

He turned his head to look at her. "What?"

"We're going to plan the wedding," she replied. "We can't make any arrangements until we know what we want, so let's find out what we want."

He kissed her forehead softly and laid his head back on the pillow. "Okay…"

"All right, where are we?"

He didn't even have to think about that one. "We're at the church my parents got married in," he told her. "It's the one I've been going to my whole life."

She smiled. "Is your priest doing the officiating?"

"Yeah."

She rubbed his stomach lightly. "See, that wasn't so hard. We now have a church and a priest."

He sat up and looked at her. "Wait a minute, what about what you want? If we get married in Boston, your family's going to have to travel a ways…"

"My family's all over the country, so some of them are going to have to travel anyway. And I like the idea of getting married in the same place your parents did. Maybe our kids will get married there, too."

He took her hand and played with her ring again, smiling. "Our kids?"

"Yeah…someday…" she said softly.

He leaned over and kissed her gently. "Someday soon?"

She laughed. "Maybe, but not until after the wedding."

"Okay, okay…" he pulled her back down on the bed again and closed his eyes. "So we have a church and a priest, what else do we need?"

"A date," she answered. "When you see us at the church, what's the weather like?"

"It's sunny and warm," he told her, stroking her back.

"Spring or summer?"

"Closer to summer," he said. "I want the boys to be there, and I know you do to, so we'll have to wait for the NHL season to end."

"How about we use the anniversary we already celebrate?" she asked.

"The day we met…" he smiled.

"And our first time together," she smiled back, running a finger down his chest.

"It'll be easy to remember," he laughed.

"You better remember," she said playfully, propping herself up on his chest.

"Believe me, if the three most important events of my life all happen on the same day, I'll remember which day." He kissed her softly.

"I'm more important than an Olympic gold medal?" she asked as she drew back. "That happened on a different day…"

"You're more important than a hundred gold medals," he said, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. He wrapped both his arms around her and rolled her over so that she was now underneath him. "And way better looking than Boris Mikhailov," he grinned.

She laughed. "I certainly hope so!" She kissed him briefly and said, "We still have a few more things to decide."

"Okay," he said, kissing her shoulder.

"Are you and the groomsmen going to wear tuxes?"

"Mmhmm," he kissed her neck.

"With tails?"

He paused. "No tails," he said, then went back to her neck.

"Do we want a band or a DJ for the reception?"

"Band…" he was working his way toward her ear.

"I was thinking of having the bridesmaids in blue…"

"Sounds good," he told her nibbling on her ear lobe and running a hand down the side of her body.

She was having trouble concentrating now. "And maybe…one of my nieces…will be the flower girl…" Her hands slid across his broad shoulders and through his dark hair.

"Sure." His lips found hers and he kissed her passionately.

"I guess you aren't worried anymore," she breathed.

"The only thing I'm worried about," he said, undoing the buttons of her blouse, "is that my parents are going to call and ruin this moment."

She smiled. "Let's take care of that right now," she reached over to the nightstand and took the phone off the hook, then kissed him deeply.

"Are we done talking about the wedding?" he asked helping her take his shirt off.

"Yeah," she said smiling, running her hands over his chest. "I think we've moved on to the wedding night…"


	14. Boston

_This is the next installment of Krista & Rizzo. Rizzo went out to Boston to help hire his new assistant coach; about two weeks later Krista packed all of her worldly possessions into her car and made the trip herself, and that's where we begin…_

The drive from Minnesota had been a long one—particularly going through Ohio where the flat road seemed to stretch on for days—but she finally pulled into Mr. and Mrs. Eruzione's driveway. She breathed a tired sigh of relief as she parked the car and got out. No sooner had the car door closed than Rizzo came running out to see her.

"You made it!" he cried throwing his arms around her and lifting her in the air.

Her energy returned, and she kissed him ardently. "I missed you so much!"

"Oh, I missed you too," he told her, setting her down and brushing a finger across her cheek. He leaned down and kissed her, more gently this time, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. "You must be tired," he said, touching her face again.

"I am," she replied smiling, "but I feel better now."

"Why don't we go inside?" He turned and took a bag from the car and hefted it over his shoulder, keeping one arm around Krista. "How's Liv doing?" he asked as they walked toward the house.

Olivia Hutchinson was Krista's roommate in Minnesota and had made the drive out with her, in part to keep Krista company and in part to pay someone a visit.

"She's almost as happy as I am," Krista laughed. "It seems that while you and I were busy keeping each other company this summer, Livie and Silky were getting to know each other better."

"I thought Silky was playing hockey New Haven after the Olympics…"

"He was, but when he got there he realized he'd left something in Minnesota that he couldn't live without, and he came back after the season was over."

"Really? What couldn't he live without?" Rizzo asked.

"Livie," Krista smiled.

"I know how he feels," he replied, kissing her hair.

They reached the house, and Rizzo opened the door for her. Mrs. Eruzione came over and hugged her tightly while Rizzo took her bag into one of the bedrooms.

"It's so good to see you again," she told Krista.

"It's good to see you, too, Mrs. E," Krista replied. "And so very sweet of you to let me stay here tonight."

"Well, we weren't going to let you drive all the way out from Minnesota to an empty apartment," Rizzo's mother told her. "You should have someone to welcome you."

"This is a great welcome," Krista smiled.

"Well, dinner's almost ready," Rizzo said, returning. "Dad's finishing up in the kitchen as we speak."

"So the cooking thing runs in the family?" Krista asked.

Mrs. Eruzione laughed. "There's nothing better than a man that can cook."

Krista laughed with her. "Amen to that!"

After dinner, Krista and Rizzo cleared the table and washed the dishes while his parents relaxed in the living room.

"You haven't stopped smiling since I got here," Krista told him, dunking a pile of plates into the soapy water in the sink.

Rizzo, standing beside her drying a glass, leaned over and kissed her softly. "You haven't either."

"I know," she told him. "So what's on tap for tonight? Do we have any plans?"

"I figured you'd be too worn out to do anything, but if you have the energy for it, I'd like to take you over to the church."

"The one we're getting married in? I'd love to see it…"

"Okay," he replied. "There's a service tonight that's ending…" he checked his watch, "in about ten minutes. If we go over when we finish the dishes, Father O'Malley should still be there and you can meet him."

"Sounds good."

They finished up the dishes and settled a few more details of the wedding, then headed over to the church. By the time they got there it was dark out, and the building was lit up brilliantly. It wasn't overly large, but it was built in the style of the other Catholic cathedrals of its time, with a tall spire and large stained glass windows.

"Wow," she breathed as the pulled into the parking lot. "It's beautiful…"

"Wait 'till you see the inside," Rizzo smiled.

He took her hand and led her up the front steps. When they entered the church, Krista stopped and turned to him.

"It's perfect," she told him, kissing him softly. "It's big enough for both our families, but not so huge that it feels like a warehouse. And it's so gorgeous…"

The pleased expression on his face said it all. The woman of his dreams was finally with him again, and they were standing together in the building they'd be married in, which happened to be his family's house of worship. The only thing left now was to introduce her to his priest.

The pair continued on toward the altar, where lit candles from the service still burned brightly.

"Father O'Malley," Rizzo called.

"Michael," the priest replied turning around. "So good to see you."

"This is my fiancée, Kristina Collins."

"Pleased to meet you, Father," Krista said, extending her hand.

"The pleasure is mine, dear," he said, taking her hand. "Young Michael has told me so much about you."

"He talks a lot about you, too, Father," Krista smiled. "I know he's very excited to have our wedding here, and so am I."

"And I'm thrilled to be officiating. You know, I christened Michael and gave him his first communion…"

Krista smiled, thinking of Rizzo as the cute little boy she knew he'd been. "Perhaps somewhere down the road you'll be christening our children, too."

Both men smiled at that thought.

"I'd be honored to," Father O'Malley replied. "In the meantime, I have a few things to finish up here, and I know you're tired, dear," he took Krista's hand again. "So we won't talk business tonight. But you'll come by and see me in the next few days?"

"We will," Rizzo told him. "Do you mind if I show her around a little before we go?"

"Not at all, Michael. She should feel at home here."

They said their good-byes to the priest and wandered around the church for a while, getting Krista acquainted with the building. After a while she started yawning and they decided to head back home.

"Can we make a stop first before we leave?" she asked.

"Sure, where?"

"I want to light a candle."

They headed back toward the alter, but took a turn and stopped in front of the shrine to Mary with its bank of candles flickering softly. Krista crossed herself and knelt down. Rizzo followed suit, noting the pained expression on her face and taking her hand. She lit her candle silently, head bowed, looking as though she were fighting back tears.

When she was ready, she stood, crossed herself again, and allowed Rizzo to lead her back toward the door.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she replied sadly. "I was just thinking of my brother."

He nodded. "The fighter pilot."

She stopped a moment, trying to compose herself again, and rested her forehead against his shoulder. "It was twelve years ago today that he was shot down."

Rizzo's arms went around her, stroking her back and caressing her hair. She had told him the story of her older brother, who was a Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War. He'd been shot down by the North Vietnamese and his plane recovered, but he had never been found. Rizzo didn't know what to say, so he just held her.

After a few minutes she lifted her head from his shoulder and kissed him gently.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He touched her cheek. "Maybe we can remember him someway at the wedding, if you want to."

She smiled a little sadly. "Maybe something small, just so I feel like he's there."

Rizzo smiled a little and kissed her forehead. "He'll be there, even if it's just in spirit. Do you think he'd miss his sister's wedding?"

She ran a hand over his shoulder and took his arm as they walked out of the church. "He was definitely a family man," she said. "And he'd be here if he could." She paused. "He'd absolutely want to meet you."

"Do you think he'd like me?" Rizzo asked, a little hesitantly.

"He'd love you, and he'd be very proud to have you as a brother-in-law." Krista's smile warmed a little. "You're a good man, just like he was." She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked out to the car.


	15. Rings and Names

_Here we go…another Krista & Rizzo installment. This one is really just fluff, but it continues on with the wedding plans being made in Boston._

As the weeks progressed into months, Krista and Rizzo settled in to life in Massachusetts. He was doing well as a high school hockey coach, loving every minute of working with his players. She had taken a job as a substitute teacher in the same school, and discovered she actually liked being around hormonal teenagers all day. Of course, being able to see her fiancé often helped, too.

The wedding plans were also coming along, with most of the major decisions already made. The church and hall were scheduled, the band was booked, the bridesmaids' dresses ordered, and the groomsmen fitted for their tuxes. The only big thing left to do was purchase the wedding rings.

Which is what brought Krista to the ice rink after school one day just after Thanksgiving.

"Hey handsome," she called across the ice to Rizzo.

He blushed a little, hoping none of the kids had heard that, and skated over to her. "Hi," he said, kissing her quickly. "Come to skate with the boys again?" She had attended a few practices at his request to, as he put it, "liven things up a little".

"Not today," she smiled. "I came to see if you were busy tonight."

"I always have time for you," he told her, taking her hand and playing with her engagement ring. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that maybe today we could go look at wedding rings after practice."

His smile grew at the thought of slipping a ring on her finger again. "Yeah, we could do that. We just have a light workout today, and I should be out of here by 4:30."

"Okay, why don't you pick me up at your parents' house when you get done?" she said. "Your mom is helping me pick out flowers today."

Rizzo laughed. "She's so excited for this wedding. Mom always wanted a daughter, but she had all boys."

"Well it works out nicely for me," Krista smiled. "My family can only do so much from Michigan, and your mother has very good taste."

He laughed again. "I'm glad you two get along so well…"

"Me too." The players were trickling out onto the ice now, and she kissed him quickly one more time. "I'll see you later, then."

He looked around and saw more of his players hitting the ice. He wanted to kiss her again, but didn't want to do it in front of the boys. Then he changed his mind—she was going to be his wife, and if he wanted to kiss her, no group of high school students was going to stand in his way. He pulled the hand he was still holding to his chest and kissed her, a soft, slow kiss. "I love you."

She smiled shyly. "I love you, too," she told him. A few whistles and catcalls came from the boys, and Krista laughed. "Tell _them_ I'm teaching US History tomorrow, and I'll see them bright and early."

Rizzo laughed too. "I will."

* * *

"What about these?" he asked later that evening, looking at a set of elaborate wedding bands.

"Honey, those are too showy. How about something a little simpler, like these."

"I think we can afford something a little more than those," he said. "How about these?"

"Those are nice, but they're so expensive," she told him.

"Don't worry about the price," he said, rubbing her shoulder. "Just find something you like."

"Sweetheart, we have to worry about the price. You're a high school coach and I'm a substitute teacher—we don't have a lot of money."

He took her hand in his and nuzzled her cheek. "I want you to have a wedding ring you can show off."

"I don't need a ring I can show off," she smiled. "I'll have a husband I can show off."

He smiled back. "Really?"

"Of course," she said, nuzzling him in return. "You could slip a Lifesaver on my finger and I wouldn't care, as long as it was from you."

Rizzo laughed. "Yeah, okay. I guess it doesn't matter what the ring is like, it's the person who gives it to you."

"Exactly."

They looked around a little more, and finally found a moderately priced set of rings that they both liked.

"Would you like to try them on?" the sales clerk asked, coming over.

"Sure," Krista replied, smiling. She took the rings from the clerk and slid one on Rizzo's left hand.

"Wait a minute," he said, trying to hide a smile. "Who said I was going to wear a wedding ring?"

She smiled. He wholly intended to wear a ring, and she knew it. "You don't want to wear a ring? Fine. Maybe I won't change my last name," she said playfully.

He wasn't expecting that one. "Why wouldn't you?"

"Did you miss the '70s? Women's lib, honey—I don't have to take your name if I don't want to…"

"You don't want to be Krista Eruzione?" he replied. A moment later he grinned, realizing what he'd said.

She laughed. "Not bad is it?" She reached over and touched the ring he was still wearing.

He looked down at their hands. "What do you think of it?" he asked.

"I think it's incredibly sexy," she smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can work something out…" He leaned over and kissed her gently. "I'll wear the ring…" He kissed her again.

"…and I'll change my name," she finished, kissing him one more time. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the expression on the sales clerk's face as he stood across the room. "Maybe we should get out of here…" Krista helped Rizzo slide the ring off his finger, and handed them back to the clerk. "Could we put a down payment on these?"

"Sure," the clerk replied. "What name would you like them held under?"

"Eruzione," she told him, smiling. "Krista Eruzione."


	16. Last Night Single

_The wedding came to me in chunks so I could get all the details in but keep it from being too long—and this is the first chunk. It's the night before the wedding…_

"So, tonight's your last night as a free woman," Maria said smiling.

"Leave it to my unmarried sister to put it just the right way," Krista replied, smiling tightly in return. She was sitting on the couch in her apartment surrounded by most of her female relatives, and some of Rizzo's, too. They were all making small talk about the wedding, commenting on the bridesmaids' dresses, how cute the happy couple looked together, and even picking out names for their children.

They were driving Krista nuts.

"Aunt Krista," her niece Shannon called, coming over with Anya, another niece. "You have to settle a bet for us."

She sighed quietly. Shannon was only three years younger than her aunt, and Anya just two years behind Shannon. They had been pestering Krista all night for intimate details about their new uncle. "Okay Shannon, what was the bet?"

"Anya thinks that Uncle Mike is really sweet and gentle in bed, and I think he's kinda wild. Who's right?"

"What!"

"Come on Aunt Krista," Anya chimed in. "We know you're not a virgin…"

"I'm not having this discussion," Krista growled, rising from the couch. Fortunately for her the phone rang at that moment.

"Hello?" she said, picking it up before anyone else could.

"Hey snowflake," Rizzo said. "Don't get excited," he continued quickly. "Act like I'm trying to sell you insurance or something."

She smiled, but smothered it before any of the relatives caught it. "Yes, this is Kristina Collins," she said into the phone.

"Are your relatives driving you crazy? Just answer yes or no."

"Yes," she replied.

"Then I have a proposition for you…are you interested?"

"Oh Krista, just tell the salesman no and get off the phone," her sister Isabel told her.

"Just a minute, Isa," Krista said to her. Into the phone she said, "Yes, I'm interested."

"You're too polite," Isabel commented, walking away.

Rizzo chuckled. "Ah, my future sister-in-law." Then he changed the subject back to the matter at hand. "Okay, do you think you can get away for a while?"

"Yes."

"Good. Meet me at our spot by the Harbor in about twenty minutes. If you can make it tell me you're getting married tomorrow."

This time she didn't hold back the smile. "I'm getting married tomorrow."

On the other end of the line, Rizzo smiled too. "I'll see you in a little while, then. I love you," he told her. Then he added, "But don't say it back…"

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Okay, thank you."

She hung up the phone and Isabel looked up.

"What was he trying to sell you?"

"Insurance," Krista said heading over to the refrigerator. "I'm almost out of milk—I'm going to run to the store for a few things…"

"The night before your wedding? Krista, you're not even going to live here after tomorrow…"

"But we need milk for breakfast. I'll go get some…" Before Isabel could stop her, Krista grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

Fifteen minutes later she was walking over to a bench she knew very well. She and Rizzo had spent countless hours sitting on it looking out over Boston Harbor, planning their future together. He sat there now, having arrived a few minutes before she did.

She crept up behind him and slid her arms around his shoulders. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.

He took her hands in his and smiled. "You've been waiting to say that since I called, haven't you?"

Krista laughed. "I have." She moved around the bench and sat beside him, kissing him hello. "It kills me not to be able to tell you I love you."

"I know," he said, still smiling putting his arm around her. "Me too."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "That's how I knew you meant it in the beginning…'cause you'd say it in front of the boys in the middle of the bar," she smiled.

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I always mean it," he told her. "I love you more than anything else in the world."

She smiled softly, tracing a finger down his chest. "I know."

They sat in silence for a while, arms wrapped around each other, gazing alternately at the water and into each other's eyes. Finally, Krista broke the stillness.

"I should go back," she said reluctantly. "I told them I was going out for milk."

"I told the boys the same thing," Rizzo smiled. "But before you go, I have something for you…" He pulled a small box out of his shirt pocket and handed it to her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just a little wedding present," he said.

She took the box from him and lifted the top off. Inside was a tiny silver snowflake attached to a delicate chain. "Honey…it's beautiful…" She leaned over and kissed him softly.

"I thought you could wear it as your 'something new' tomorrow," he said, caressing her cheek.

"Of course I will." She kissed him again, and pulled a box of her own from her purse. "I have something for you, too."

He took the box from her and opened it, finding a pair of gold cuff links engraved with anchors and the initials J.P.C.

"They were my brother's," Krista said. "All the siblings pitched in, and we gave them to him when he graduated from the Naval Academy. My brother Tim thought you might want to wear them, but you don't have to…"

He stopped her. "I'd be honored to wear them," he told her quietly.

"You know, since my dad died when I was little, Joe would have been the one giving me away tomorrow," she said, cuddling up against Rizzo again.

"Well, he might not be giving you away, but he'll be there tomorrow, I promise."

She smiled a little and kissed his shoulder. "I really should go, now, before Shannon starts spreading rumors again…"

She rose from the bench and he stood with her, sliding his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"I wish you we didn't have to be apart tonight," he said.

"Well, after tomorrow, we won't," she said, her smile growing.

He leaned down and kissed her gently, and she giggled.

"What?"

"That's the last time you'll ever kiss Krista Collins," she said.

He returned her smile. "You're right, the next time I get to kiss you you'll be Krista Eruzione." He released her, and watched her walk toward her car. About halfway there, she stopped and ran back to him.

"One more," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately.

He laughed, sliding a hand down her back. "You know, if we don't go back now, we'll never make it to the wedding…"

She sighed. "I know…okay." She turned and started to walk away again.

He caught her hand and kissed it quickly before letting go. She smiled again and hurried to the car before she changed her mind again.

He smiled to himself as she drove away. "Good-bye, Kristina Collins."


	17. Getting Ready

_Here's the next part, the day of the ceremony…_

Krista awoke well before the sun rose, unable to sleep any longer. She climbed out of bed and quietly padded into the kitchen, careful not to wake any of her still-sleeping bridesmaids. She pulled a box of cereal out of the cupboard and set it on the counter, grabbing a bowl and the milk she remember to pick up on the way back from the Harbor. When she turned back to the counter, she noticed the small box that had also made the trip back with her sitting next to the cereal box. Krista smiled, picking the delicate necklace up and running a finger over it.

"That looks new," her sister-in-law said quietly, coming into the kitchen.

Krista looked up, startled. "Oh, Elizabeth, you scared me." She put the necklace back in the box.

"So…where did it come from," Elizabeth asked with a sly smile.

"Just something Rizzo gave me that I thought I'd wear today," Krista replied.

"When did he give it to you? Your birthday's in August…"

Krista blinked sleepily. "I don't remember, Elizabeth, I just wanted to wear it."

"You saw him last night, didn't you?" Elizabeth winked.

Krista smiled a little, and Elizabeth laughed quietly.

"Your brother and I did the same thing the night before our wedding," she said. "Our families were driving us nuts, so we both snuck out and went to this little park."

"I couldn't help it," Krista said, her smile broadening. "When he called, I had to go see him. The necklace is my wedding present."

Elizabeth smiled. "Your 'something new'?"

"Yeah."

The other girls began waking up slowly and taking turns in the bathroom. Eventually everyone was ready, and they set out to run the last few errands before the wedding. They began at the hair salon, sitting and sometimes wincing as hair was curled, put up, and sprayed. Krista, wearing one of Rizzo's button-down shirts, was the last to be finished. She looked in the mirror as the hairdresser pinned her veil in place.

"Not bad," she smiled.

"Rizzo's going to faint when he sees you," Liv, her former roommate, told her.

Krista laughed. "I don't even have the dress on yet!"

"Wait 'till you do…"

"Speaking of dresses, we need to pick ours up," Sandy, Krista's co-worker at the bar in Minnesota, reminded them.

"Okay, that's where we'll go next."

Since Krista had no room in her apartment, and most of her bridesmaids were from out of town, Rizzo's mother had offered to keep the dresses at their house, so the girls headed there. When Mrs. Eruzione answered the door and saw Krista in her veil, she started to tear up.

"You look so beautiful," she told Krista.

Krista smiled and hugged her. "It's too early to be crying already!"

"I know, I know…I'm just so happy for the two of you," Mrs. Eruzione sniffed.

Krista hugged her again. "I know you are, and I'm glad you're happy. I'm pretty happy, too," she winked.

Mrs. Eruzione laughed. "Good. Let me get the dresses for you…" She left the room and came back with seven bridesmaids dresses. "Here are these…" She left again and returned with Krista's wedding dress. "And here's yours, dear." She handed the dress over and dabbed at her eyes again.

Krista squeezed her shoulder. "You'll be there while we're getting ready, right?"

Rizzo's mother smiled. "Of course I will."

Krista hugged her one more time. "Okay, we've got a few more stops to make, so we'll meet you there."

Krista and the bridesmaids left the Eruzione house and piled into the car.

"Okay, it's 10:00 now," Elizabeth said. "The flower shop should be open."

When they pulled into the parking lot, the flower shop was indeed open, and had their order ready and waiting. Krista's youngest sister Maria pulled one of the bouquets from its wrapping. It was a simple arrangement of white roses that had just the faintest hint of indigo coloring, bunched together and tied with a ribbon the same shade as the dresses.

"Very nice," Maria commented. "What does yours look like?"

"I don't know, let's see…" They opened the wrapping on Krista's bouquet, and found a larger arrangement of red roses tied in the same manner with a white bow.

Gail Schneider laughed when she saw them. "Do you realize that when all seven of us are standing with you we're going to be red, white, and blue?"

Krista grinned. "They're good colors, aren't they?"

"All right," Isabel said, coming over. "We have one more stop to make before we head over to the church."

"And where is that?" Krista asked.

"We need mints," Isabel smiled. "…can't have you kissing Mikey with bad breath."

The girls all laughed, but they did stop at a supermarket before continuing on to the church, where Father O'Malley was waiting for them.

"Hello Krista," he said, hugging her gently as she came through the door.

"Hi Father," she replied, hugging him back. "Ready for this?"

He laughed. "I was just going to ask you the same thing."

"I'm ready," she smiled. "Have you seen my fiancé yet?"

"I spoke with him on the phone earlier this morning. Michael sounded very excited."

Krista smiled again. In her mind she could see his brown eyes and bright smile, and couldn't wait to meet him at the altar. "Well when he gets here, give him a kiss for me."

Father O'Malley chuckled. "I'll leave that to you, dear. In the meantime, you ladies can get ready right through here." He led the girls down the hall and into a large room. "When the gentlemen arrive, they'll be down the other hall, so you won't have to worry about seeing the groom too soon."

"Thank you, Father," Krista told him. "We'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay," Krista's oldest sister Ana said, "let's get you dressed." She sat Krista on a chair while Liv brought over various articles of makeup. The other five girls were running around getting each other ready as well, and the room became very chaotic. At the end of it, though, there were seven young women, hair and makeup done to perfection, standing in royal blue floor length dresses with flowing skirts, and one blushing bride complete with veil and red roses in her hair.

"Wow, you guys clean up pretty well" Krista said smiling. "How'd I turn out?"

Elizabeth started to get misty. "I can't believe my little sister-in-law is getting married…"

Mrs. Eruzione poked her head into the room and immediately started to weep walking over to Krista. Gail and Sandy even dabbed at their eyes, trying not to smear their makeup.

"What's with you guys?" Krista asked. "You hardly ever cry…"

"We've been waiting for this day for two years," Sandy laughed through her tears. "Since the first time Rizzo walked into the bar…"

"And now it's happening…" Gail continued.

"And you look so beautiful!" Mrs. Eruzione finished.

Krista laughed at her friends and family. "I love you guys so much!" She told them. "Come here…group hug!"

All nine women slid arms around each other and shared a giant hug.

Father O'Malley knocked on the door and poked his head in. "Ready ladies?"

The girls all looked at Krista.

She smiled broadly. "Yep."

They moved out into the lobby of the church where the groomsmen were waiting, and got themselves lined up. Mrs. Eruzione headed back to her seat, and Rizzo was already standing at the altar with his best man.

Krista's brother Tim came over and offered his arm to his little sister. "All set?"

Her hand touched her hair, her cheek, and her throat. "My necklace…"

"What?" Tim asked.

"My snowflake necklace is still in the room with our stuff. I need it!"

"I'll get it," Gail said, heading off. She returned quickly with a familiar box.

Tim helped Krista put the necklace on. "You look beautiful," he told her quietly, kissing her forehead.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Need anything else?" Tim asked.

"Just my husband," she grinned. "Let's get this show on the road…"


	18. The Big Day

_Okay, here it is…the actual ceremony. It was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be (I'm pretty sure now I won't be writing my own vows if I ever get married), and I haven't been to a Catholic wedding in a while, but here goes nothing…_

The organist began playing and "Pachabel's Cannon in D" filled the church. Krista and Tim stood off to one side while the sanctuary doors were opened and the bridal party headed slowly down the aisle, two by two. Rizzo and his older brother Nick, the best man, watched each pair anxiously. Krista's oldest sister Ana was last, being the matron-of-honor, and walked down the aisle alone. The sanctuary doors closed again and Tim and Krista took their places. The organist finished the Cannon and paused a moment before beginning the Wedding March.

"Want to chicken out?" Tim asked smiling.

The sanctuary doors were opened again, revealing rows and rows of family and friends standing in anticipation of the bride.

"Too late…" he laughed before Krista could respond.

She gripped her bouquet and Tim's arm tightly, suddenly becoming very nervous.

"Take a deep breath," Tim told her quietly as they started toward the altar. "Just relax…don't pay attention to anyone but Mike."

She followed her brother's advice and took a deep breath, looking over at Rizzo. He twisted his hands nervously, watching his bride. Their gazes met, and they shared a smile across the church.

When Tim and Krista finally made it to the altar steps, Rizzo came down to join them, still smiling.

"We are gathered here today in the sight of God to join Anthony Michael Eruzione and Kristina Teresa Collins in holy matrimony," Father O'Malley began.

Krista was still holding Tim's arm and her bouquet, and couldn't take Rizzo's hand, so she brushed her arm against his, still smiling. He, unable to take his eyes off her, brushed back with a grin.

"Who here gives this woman to be married to this man?" the priest continued.

"I do," Tim said. Her turned to Krista, lifted her veil, and kissed her cheek, sliding his arms around her in a warm embrace. Tim then turned to Rizzo and shook his hand, hugging him as well. "Take care of her," Tim told him softly.

Rizzo hugged him back. "I will."

Tim took a seat with his family and smiled at the pair as they joined hands and walked up the altar steps.

"Hi," Rizzo said, still grinning.

"Hi," Krista replied, smiling broadly and relaxing a little.

"You look amazing," he told her, squeezing her hand.

"So do you," she said squeezing back. "You really should wear a tux more often."

He laughed as they navigated the last step.

"I see we're relaxed and happy today," Father O'Malley said when they reached him.

"We are now," Krista said.

"Okay, then, here we go." He opened his book and continued with the service.

There were readings and quotes, and one of Rizzo's cousins sang "Ave Maria." Through the ceremony, the pair stood at the altar holding hands and smiling. Finally it was time for the vows. Krista handed off her bouquet to Ana and turned to Rizzo, taking his other hand in hers.

"Ready?" Father O'Malley whispered.

They both nodded.

"Michael, repeat after me," he continued louder. "I, Anthony Michael…"

Rizzo took a deep breath and looked into Krista's eyes. "I, Anthony Michael…"

"Take thee, Kristina Teresa…"

"Take thee, Kristina Teresa…" he repeated.

"To be my lawfully wedded wife."

"To be my lawfully wedded wife." His hands began to shake a little.

"To have and to hold…" the priest continued.

"To have and to hold…"

"For richer or for poorer…"

"For richer or for poorer…" Rizzo's voice wavered a tiny bit, and Krista squeezed his hands again.

"In sickness and in health…"

"In sickness and in health…"

"As long as we both shall live."

"As long as we both shall live." He rubbed his thumbs over her hands, smiling.

Father O'Malley smiled, too. "Kristina, repeat after me, I, Kristina Teresa…"

Krista also took a deep breath. "I, Kristina Teresa…"

"Take thee, Anthony Michael…"

She smiled softly at Rizzo. "Take thee, Anthony Michael…"

"To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To be my lawfully wedded husband." Behind her Krista could here the bridesmaids sniffling.

"To have and to hold…" Father O'Malley went on.

"To have and to hold…"

"For richer or for poorer…"

"For richer or for poorer…" She could feel her heart pounding and tried to breathe slowly.

"In sickness and in health…"

"In sickness and in health…"

"As long as we both shall live."

"As long as we both shall live." She exhaled and saw Rizzo's mother wipe her eyes with a handkerchief.

"At this point of the ceremony," the priest said. "The bride and groom would like to add some words of their own." He nodded at Rizzo.

He took another deep breath and tried to steady himself. "I love you," he began. "I've loved you since the first day I met you, and I'll love you until the last breath leaves my body." His voice began to waver again, and he paused to collect himself. "You're beautiful, intelligent, kind, loving, and the strongest person I know. I don't know what I ever did to deserve such an incredible woman, but I thank God every day that He brought us together…" He stopped again, unable to continue for a moment. He looked down at his hands holding hers and a tear slid down his cheek. "And I am honored to be your husband."

Krista reached up and brushed the tear away, aching to hold him. He took her hand again and kissed it gently.

"I love you so much," Krista began in a voice barely above a whisper. "You have been my comfort, my strength, my joy, and my partner…" her eyes glistened with tears of her own, and she, too, had to stop and regain her composure. "You're my first thought when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep, and I thank God, too, every day for you, my teddy bear…" The tears were trickling down her cheeks now, and Rizzo ran a hand softly over her face, wiping them away. "And I am so proud to be your wife."

By this time there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Even some of the groomsmen were clearing their throats and looking at their shoes. Father O'Malley smiled and gave everyone a moment to breathe. He then called for and blessed the rings, which Krista and Rizzo exchanged smiling into each other's eyes.

Then, at last, came the words they had waited to hear. "By the power vested in me by the Catholic Church and the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Father O'Malley told them. "Michael, you may now kiss your bride."

Rizzo released Krista's hands and slid his own around her waist, leaning in and kissing her gently. Her arms went around his shoulders and her fingers ran through his hair. As their lips drew apart, he rested his forehead against hers.

"My wife…" he said, smiling broadly, still sniffling.

"My husband…" she replied, sniffling a little herself and rubbing the back of his neck lightly.

"Congratulations," Father O'Malley grinned. "All that's left now is the introduction…"

Ana handed Krista back her bouquet and Rizzo offered her his arm as they turned to face their guests.

"It my great pleasure to introduce to you for the first time," the priest continued beaming, "Mr. and Mrs. Michael Eruzione."

The guests applauded wildly and the pair headed down the aisle, laughing now. When they made it out the sanctuary doors, they stopped and waited for the bridal party to catch up.

Rizzo slid his arms around Krista. "I thought you weren't going to cry…"

She laughed. "I was okay until you started," she told him, stroking his cheek.

"Just don't cry every time I try to kiss you now…" He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, looking both blissfully happy and very relieved.

She laughed again and pulled him more tightly against her. "I think I can handle that."

"Good," he grinned. "Then let's get out of here. I can't wait to dance with my wife at the reception."


	19. Reception

_I had images of Krista and Rizzo being all cute and newlywed-like dancing around in my head, so here's the reception..._

After the guests had left the church, the photographer had shot what seemed like eight million rolls of film, and the wedding party got to have a little fun together, Krista and Rizzo finally found a few minutes alone just before they made their entrance at the reception. They stood outside the main doors of the banquet hall with goofy grins on their faces and their arms wrapped around each other.

"My wife," Rizzo said for the millionth time that day.

Krista laughed at him. "Someday it'll be normal for you to call me that, you know."

"Maybe," he told her stroking her cheek, "but I don't think I'll ever be able to say it without smiling."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "You get major brownie points for that," she said, kissing him softly.

"I meant it, though," he replied, kissing her again.

"I know…"

They were interrupted by the sound of one of the band members on the microphone. "And here they are, the new mister and missus, Mike and Krista Eruzione!"

The couple parted just as the doors opened. Before them stood hundreds of their family and friends, cheering and applauding. Also before them, stood two rows of hockey players, one row on each side of the door, holding sticks aloft and crossed as though they were swords at a military ceremony.

Krista laughed again. "What is this?"

"We thought you'd like to make a grand entrance," Mac said, standing at the front of one row. "We knew a lot of your family is in the military, Krista, and Rizzo has the whole hockey thing happening..."

"And you all just happened to have hockey sticks with you?" Rizzo laughed.

"Yeah," Mac winked.

Krista gave him a big hug, and Rizzo shook his hand, slapping him on the back, both smiling broadly.

"Are you going to go under them or what?" OC asked sarcastically. "My arms are getting tired…"

Rizzo took Krista's hand and they walked under the arch of sticks and took their places at the center of the wedding party's table. Father O'Malley said a blessing and everyone sat back and relaxed over dinner—everyone, that is, except for the bride and groom. Their guests kept them from eating very much with a constant chorus of silverware clanging against glasses. Just as one round would die down someone would pick up a fork and touch off another set, keeping Krista's and Rizzo's lips locked, and smiling, for most of the meal.

After the food was eaten and the dishes cleared, the band began to tune up for the musical portion of the evening. With their guests finally without things to bang on, Krista and Rizzo snuck into the kitchen to snag a quick snack to supplement the little bit of dinner they had managed to eat. By the time they were done, the band was ready.

It was the same band that had played for the gold medal celebration in Lake Placid, and they began with what would have been the father/daughter and mother/son dance. Rizzo led his mother onto the dance floor and Krista took her brother Tim by the hand.

"Have I said 'thank you for doing this' yet?" Krista asked, sliding an arm around his shoulder.

"Why would you thank me? It's a privilege to be such a big part of your wedding day," Tim told her.

"Well, thank you anyway," she said, squeezing his shoulder. "You've raised me since Dad died, and I can't imagine having you anywhere else." She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

After a small pause, Tim said, "Thinking about Joe?"

Krista sighed a little. "Yeah…especially when I look at Anya and Risa," she replied, her eyes flickering to her missing brother's two daughters. "They look so much like him."

"They do," Tim smiled. "And you just know he's here looking in on them, and on you."

Krista nodded, smiling.

The song ended, and Tim let go of his sister. "Thanks, for the dance little sister."

"Anytime, big brother."

The music changed, becoming slower in tempo and less instrumental as the band moved into an a capella version of "In the Still of the Night." Krista found Rizzo and wrapped an arm around him, her smile brightening.

"Hello my husband," she said, kissing him lightly.

He grinned, taking her other hand in his and resting it against his chest. "Hello my wife."

"Do you remember the first time we danced to this song?"

He thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact I do. It was your birthday party at the bar, and Rammer punched this song up on the juke box."

"I still wonder whatever possessed him to do that," she said.

"Oh, someone happened to let it slip that 'In the Still of the Night' was your favorite song and that I hadn't gotten to dance with you yet," he said with a sly smile.

"It was you?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah," he said, nuzzling her cheek. "So Rammer took it upon himself to make sure the song was played, and Mac decided to make sure you found me." He paused, kissing her hair. "I was crazy about you, even then."

She kissed him gently and laid her head on his shoulder, noticing for the first time the gold cuff link engraved with an anchor that was attached to his sleeve.

"You wore Joe's cuff links…" she said softly.

His hand ran lightly over her back. "Of course I did. I told you he'd be here today, didn't I?"

"You did," Krista replied, smiling. "And he is."

He bent his head down and leaned his cheek against hers, puller her as close to him as possible, enjoying the rest of the song. She sighed blissfully, rubbing the back of his neck lightly, happy to be in his arms again.

Rizzo kissed her cheek then her lips as the song ended. "I love you."

She smiled yet again. "I love you too." Then she laughed. "And this is probably the last time I'll see you tonight…"

"Save me one more dance, okay?"

"Okay." She kissed him one last time before family and friends began crowding the dance floor, wanting to congratulate the bride and groom. Sure enough, the happy couple ended up on opposite sides of the room, and spent several hours away from each other. His former teammates kept her busy dancing and talking, since most of them hadn't seen her in quite a while. Her nieces and cousins kept him pretty busy, too, having developed crushes on "Uncle Mike" when they had met him previous summer. The pair did manage to steal a few moments together to cut the cake and snuck off to share a piece of it, but were soon found and separated again.

Then the time came for Krista to throw the bouquet. All the single women gathered on the dance floor and Krista stood on a chair at one end.

"Why are you standing on a chair?" Bah asked her, helping her up onto it.

"Better flight path," she laughed.

A drum roll sounded, and Ana, the matron-of-honor, counted to three. The bouquet went sailing over about half of the crowd and squarely into the arms of Olivia, Krista's roommate back in Minnesota.

"Livie!" Krista laughed. "You know what that means! I'm going to have to have a chat with Silky…"

Liv laughed, too, as she walked over to where her boyfriend was standing. "Well tell him I'm ready and waiting," she said. Silky blushed.

Guests were starting to leave, and the bride and groom were growing tired, having thoughts of skipping out themselves. Rizzo wandered over to the band and said something to the lead singer. Then he went to find Krista.

"There you are," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist as she looked at the guest book just outside the main doors. He leaned down and kissed her neck softly, running a finger over the chain of the snowflake necklace he'd given her the night before.

A smile spread across her lips. "I was getting tired, so I thought I'd come over here and see who all came...take a little break from the crowd." She leaned her head back against him.

"How about we have that other dance you promised me, then we'll get out of here."

"Sounds great."

They strolled hand in hand back out to the dance floor and the band began a cover of the Temptations' "My Girl".

Rizzo pulled her close to him again and smiled. He knew her penchant for Motown songs, and couldn't think of a better one to dance to with her. "A song especially for you," he whispered in her ear.

She smiled back. "I'm your girl now, for the rest of our lives."

He rested his cheek against hers, the happiest he'd ever been, holding her in his arms and moving slowly to the music.


	20. Honeymoon

_This is their honeymoon. They don't have much money, and haven't lived together yet, so they decided to spend their first two weeks alone together in their new apartment._

"Good morning, snowflake," Rizzo said as Krista blinked open her eyes.

"How do you always wake up before me?" she asked sleepily, turning over to face him.

"All those nights closing the bar turned you into a late sleeper, I guess," he replied, kissing her.

She looked over at the clock on the nightstand. "It isn't even that late..."

"Well," he said smiling and kissing her again, "maybe it's just because I like to watch you sleep." He brushed a hand over her cheek. "You look so peaceful..."

She smiled and cuddled up closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "What a teddy bear I married."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "You bring it out in me," he told her, stroking her hair.

She propped herself up on her elbows. "Then who was I with on our wedding night?" she asked grinning. "'Cause he was more like a grizzly bear."

Rizzo blushed a little. "I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me..."

She laughed and kissed him. "I didn't say it was a bad thing."

"Yeah?" He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over so that she was underneath him. "Should we see if he's still around?"

She giggled as he kissed her passionately. "Oh, there he is..."

His hand ran down the side of her body and hers slid across his back. His lips moved to her hair, her cheek, and down her neck...

The phone rang.

"Why does that always happen?" he asked, burrying his face in her shoulder.

She laughed a little, but she shared his frustration. Friends and family had been calling since the wedding to offer congratulations, but always seemed to call at the most inopportune times.

Rizzo reached over to the nightstand and picked up the phone. "Hello?" He kissed her while he listened to the other party, but stopped after a moment and sat up.

"Yes I'm still interested," Krista heard him say. She slid quietly out of bed, kissing her husband on the cheek, and went to find something to eat in the kitchen.

He came out of the bedroom a few minutes later smiling again.

"Who was that?" Krista asked, pouring pancake batter into a frying pan.

"That," he said, wrapping his arms around her, "was the principal at school. You know how the PE teacher retired?"

"Mmhmm..."

"And I put in an application for the opening..."

"Yeah..." she put the pancake batter down and turned in his arms.

"I got an interview!"

"Oh, honey, that's great!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him excitedly. "When is it?"

"Day after tomorrow," he said cautiously, wondering how she would react to that bit of news. They had promised to spend the entire two weeks alone together.

"Right in the middle of our honeymoon," she said, frowning a little. "Well, I guess you can't really tell them no can you?" she said, smiling again.

He kissed her, relieved that she wasn't upset. "You know if it was the other way around, and you had the interview..."

"You'd be trying to help me pick out clothes to wear," she laughed. "Sweetheart, you have to go...if you get this job..."

Rizzo's face lit up. "Then we can start house-hunting." He kissed her, more gently this time. "And we can start thinking about a family..."

The morning of the interview Rizzo was a nervous wreck. He couldn't stand still to brush his teeth, and kept putting things down and forgetting where he left them. It took him fifteen minutes just to find his watch. His hands were even shaking, so badly that Krista had to help him with the buttons on his shirt.

"You're going to be just fine," she told him, helping him with his tie. "You're interviewing with a principal you already work for, you're totally qualified for this job, and you're perfect for it." She finished the tie, and ran her hands over his chest. "And you look so hot…"

Her comment had the desired effect, making Rizzo laugh a little. He slid his arms around his wife and kissed her softly. "Thanks sweetie." He sighed. "I'm just not used to being this nervous. Even when I was playing hockey I didn't get this edgy."

"You were pretty anxious on our wedding day," she said, smiling.

He smiled too. "Yeah, but as soon as you took my hand at the altar, I was fine."

"I _could_ hold your hand through the interview…"

He laughed again, glad she was there with him. She always helped him relax when he was anxious. "I think it'll be enough if you're here waiting for me when I get back."

"That I can promise," she said kissing him. "Now hurry up or you're going to be late!"

He kissed her one last time and headed out the door. When he returned a few hours later he was much calmer.

"So how did it go?" Krista asked as he walked into the living room.

"I don't know," he answered, sitting down beside her on the couch. "I guess it went okay. He asked me lots of questions, and I just tried to answer them as best I could."

"That's all you can do, right?" She took his arm and placed it around her shoulders, leaning her head against his chest.

"Yeah."

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" she asked, playing with his tie.

He was still thinking about the interview and didn't catch the tone of her voice. "I don't know honey…we still have to unpack a few things…"

She lifted her head and turned toward him, loosening the knot in the tie and rubbing the back of his neck. "Unpacking is pretty boring…isn't there something else we can do?"

He thought for a minute, still distracted. "Um, I guess we could go look for that new bookcase we were going to get…"

She laughed a little as she raised herself up on her knees, kissing his neck and nibbling on his earlobe. "How 'bout we pick up where we left off last night?"

He finally got the hint and smiled broadly. "Ohhhh…"

Her hands had managed to undo the tie and were now working on the buttons of his shirt. His arms went around her and he kissed her deeply, a very slow, intense kiss. When they drew apart, she sighed happily.

"I love it when you kiss me like that," she told him, her eyes still half closed.

"I know some other things you like…" he grinned, laying her down.

Once again, the phone interrupted them.

"No…don't answer it," Krista implored him, clinging to his shoulders.

"You know what will happen if it's one of our nosy relatives and we don't answer," he said, rising from the couch and heading into the kitchen where the nearest extension was.

Krista sighed again, this time more heavily. She knew that if they didn't answer a family member's call, someone would be knocking on their door within the hour for a visit. It was actually easier to just take the call.

"Hello?" Rizzo said, picking up the phone. "Yes, this is Mike…"

Krista couldn't lay still, so she got up off the couch and headed into the bedroom to do some unpacking. She could hear bits and pieces of the conversation in the kitchen, but didn't want to evesdrop, so she opened the door of the closet and immersed herself in boxes, daydreaming about her husband. A few minutes later, he found her arranging things on the shelf with a silly smile on her face.

"Whatchya doin'?" he asked sliding his arms around her waist.

"Unpacking…who was on the phone?"

"Jason."

"Jason, the principal at school?"

He nodded.

"Well?" she prodded, turning around.

He tried vainly to keep a straight face before answering, "Well…do we want to live in a one-story house or a two-story?" he asked grinning.

"What!"

"I got the job!"

For the second time that week she threw her arms around him and kissed him gleefully. "That's fantastic!" she told him. "I'm so proud of you!"

He laughed and kissed her again. "He said he went through the other interviews and didn't find anyone else who would do the job as well as I would."

"Of course he didn't. I've seen you with your hockey players…you're great with them, and a wonderful teacher. Jason knows that." She ran her fingers through his hair, and the silly smile returned.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, knowing that smile.

"I was thinking of ways we could celebrate," she said sheepishly.

"Anything in particular you want to do?"

She grinned. "Well…"


	21. Krista's Illness

_This one takes place a little over a year after the wedding…lots of stuff happened between the wedding and this one, but none of it ever came to me, so I skipped ahead a bit..._

It was early morning and the alarm clock hadn't gone off yet, but Rizzo woke up anyway. Something was disturbing him unconsciously, and when he reached over to Krista's side of the bed and found it empty, he discovered what it was. He could see the light under the bathroom door and knew exactly what was happening.

He climbed out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. "Snowflake," he called softly knocking on the door. "You okay?"

When he didn't get a reply, he cracked open the door and peeked in. He found his wife kneeling on the floor, her face pale and drawn.

"Oh, sweetie," he said, kneeling down next to her and sliding an arm gently around her. "Still sick?"

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Yeah," she replied hoarsely.

"Maybe you should see the doctor."

"It's just the flu," she told him.

He ran a hand over her hair. "But it's been a week," he told her. "I'm worried about you."

She smiled weakly. "Okay, I'll call when the office opens."

He kissed the top of her head. "Good, now let's get you back into bed." He helped her up off the bathroom floor and carried her back into the bedroom, laying her gently in bed and climbing in beside her, holding her until he had to get ready for work.

When it was time for him to leave, she insisted on walking him to the door like she did every other day.

"Promise me you'll call the doctor," he said, wrapping his arms around her and looking into her blue eyes.

She looked up into his brown ones. "I will."

He kissed her on the forehead. "Okay. I'll call you later and check on you."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, trying not to spread her germs to him. "Have a good day at school…"

A few minutes after he left she kept her promise and called the doctor, making an appointment for that very day. She got herself dressed and ate some crackers and ginger ale, which she managed to keep down all way through the doctor's appointment. The doctor listened to her describe her symptoms, examined her carefully, and drew a couple of vials of blood for testing.

"It'll be a day or so, but I'll give you a call as soon as the results are in," he told her. "In the meantime, just rest and drink plenty of fluids."

Krista made it home in time for Rizzo's call and repeated to him what the doctor had told her.

"So he doesn't think it's anything serious?"

"No, honey, he doesn't…just a bad case of the flu, like I thought. We'll know for sure as soon as the blood tests come back."

He was still unconvinced, but decided not to argue the point. "Okay then, go take it easy and I'll be home right after practice."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," she replied smiling.

The next morning was a repeat of the previous one with Rizzo waking up alone in bed and finding Krista retching in the bathroom. As he had all week, he comforted her and carried her back to bed, holding her until he had to begin getting ready.

"I thought you were feeling better yesterday," he said quietly, stroking her cheek as she lay in his arms.

"I was," she told him. "Then this morning…"

Now he was worried. "I'll call in sick today and stay home with you."

She looked up at him. "Honey, no, I'll be fine," she insisted. "Go to school and go to practice, and if the doctor calls, you'll be the first to know."

"What if something happens…?"

"You parents are only a few minutes away." She summoned all the energy she had left in her body and said as firmly as she could, "I'll be okay."

As before, he looked skeptical, but went off to work at her behest.

The lab worked quickly, and Krista received a call from the doctor's office asking her to come in for a quick appointment early that afternoon.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything's fine," the nurse assured her. "The doctor just wants to go over your lab results with you."

Once again, Krista got herself dressed and over to the doctor's office.

"Good afternoon Krista," the doctor said as he showed her into his office. "This won't take long…have a seat."

"Thanks Doc," she smiled nervously.

The doctor noticed the tension in her face and voice. "Relax. What I have to tell you is good news."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. The lab ran a battery of different tests on the blood I drew yesterday. We were wrong…you don't have the flu."

"I don't? They what on earth has been making me so sick?"

"All of the other tests came back negative except for one." The doctor smiled. "When was your last period, Krista?"

She thought for a minute, confused. "It was supposed to be a couple of weeks ago, now that you mention it. I've been so sick I completely forgot…" A smile spread over her face as the importance of the question sunk in. "Wait a minute, am I…?"

The doctor's smile grew. "You, my dear, are pregnant."

She sat in the chair across the desk from him and tried to contain her excitement. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Krista beamed all the way out to the car. She drove straight to school where Rizzo was in the middle of practice, unable to keep the news to herself. When she arrived, he was putting the boys through the last couple of drills for the day.

"Hey there," he said as she walked out behind the bench. "You look a lot better than when I left you this morning." He leaned over the boards and kissed her on the cheek, taking off one of his hockey gloves and squeezing her shoulder.

She smiled, and kissed his lips lightly. "I feel a little bit better."

"Mrs. E!" one of the players called. "Feeling better?" he asked skating over to the boards.

"Actually, I am," she replied. She was grinning, still enjoying being called by her married name.

"Well enough to skate with us today?" another player asked.

"Yeah, I think I can handle you boys this afternoon." She disappeared into the locker room and returned with the pair of skates she kept in the coach's office. She laced them up and made her way out onto the ice, still moving slowly and obviously still feeling poorly, but in much better shape than before.

The boys showed her which drill they were running and Krista took her place among them. Rizzo watched her carefully, noticing her laborious movements but also the perpetual smile on her face. After the last drill was concluded, he sent the players into the locker room but remained on the ice to talk to his wife.

"Still feeling crummy, aren't you?" he asked, sliding his arms around her waist.

She smiled, her arms encircling his neck. "Yeah, but now I know why."

"The doctor called today? I thought something was up."

Krista just grinned, playing with his hair.

"Well? Is it the flu?" he asked.

"Nope."

"No? But it isn't anything serious, or you wouldn't be so happy. What is it?"

"Morning sickness," she told him, pulling him closer and kissing him gently. "I'm pregnant," she whispered in his ear.

He pulled back a little and looked in her eyes, trying to comprehend what she said. "Pregnant?"

Krista nodded.

"We're going to have a baby?"

She nodded again. "You're going to be a daddy," she grinned.

Rarely was he without words, but this was one of those moments. All he could muster was "wow" smiling like a man who had just won the lottery.

She laughed and kissed him again.

"A baby," he said quietly. "We're going to have a baby."

She laughed again. "Yes we are…"

"Coach?" one of his players stepped back out onto the bench.

"Go take care of the boys," Krista told him. "I'll see you at home in a little bit."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

He kissed her softly once more, still grinning like a Cheshire cat, and skated off to attend to his players.

Later, when he arrived home, he found Krista standing in the middle of the mess that was their spare bedroom. "Hey honey," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her neck. "Whatchya doing?"

"Trying to figure out where to put the crib," she smiled, resting her hands on his.

He smiled, too. "Well, wherever we put it, we can put this in it." He produced a small teddy bear and handed it to her.

"For our little baby bear," she laughed.

He gently rubbed her stomach. "Here?"

She guided his hands to the lower portion of her abdomen. "Here."

"Our child," he beamed.

"Our child."


	22. Ultrasound

_Another Krista & Rizzo for your reading enjoyment…it's their first look at their baby…_

"All set?" Rizzo asked his wife as she struggled to tie her shoes. She was about four months along now, and her belly was beginning to make some tasks harder.

"Yep," Krista told him, rising from the couch. "Ready to see our baby?"

He smiled broadly. "You better believe it!"

He helped her out to the car and opened the door for her. When they arrived at the doctor's office, he helped her out of the car and into the waiting room, telling her to take a seat while he told the nurse they were there.

"I'm not that fragile, you know," she told him for what seemed like the millionth time.

He smiled. "I know. I just want you to take it easy. You were so sick for a while…"

She grimaced, remembering how severe the morning sickness had been for the first trimester. "That, thank goodness, is over now. I'm really okay."

"I know…"

Krista shook her head smiling. He had always been protective of her, but had become more so since they found out about the pregnancy.

When it was their turn, a nurse led them back to a special exam room.

"Not many private offices have these yet, but Doctor insisted on getting one," the nurse told them, gesturing to the ultrasound machine in the corner. "There's just something about being able to see you own child before it's even born…"

Krista and Rizzo looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay, go ahead and change into the gown and hop up on the exam table. Doctor will be in in a few minutes."

The nurse left and Krista began to undress.

"Do you want me to go outside while you change?" Rizzo asked.

Krista laughed. "Honey, you're my _husband_. You've seen everything there is to see…"

He smiled a little shyly.

"And besides," she continued, "pretty soon you're going to have to help me change my clothes."

He laughed as the doctor knocked on the door.

"Ready for me?"

"Come on in," Krista said.

The doctor came in, examined Krista, asked her a few questions, then rolled the ultrasound cart over to the exam table. "Okay here we go…"

He lifted Krista's gown and squeezed some cold goo on her exposed belly. He picked up the wand attached to the ultrasound machine and planted it in the goo. A picture flickered across the screen, and the doctor moved the wand around, examining the baby and trying to find a good angle.

"There we go…" He stopped moving the wand pointed to an area of the screen. "There's your baby."

Krista and Rizzo looked at the screen, then at each other. She smiled softly and took his hand. His eyes shone brightly and the expression on his face said it all.

"Do you want to know the gender?" the doctor asked after a minute.

Husband looked at wife and they read each other's thoughts.

"Yeah, we do," Krista said.

"You're having a little girl," the doctor smiled. He flipped a switch on the ultrasound machine. A rapid pulsing noise filled the room. "That's her heartbeat."

That put Krista over the edge and a tear slid down her cheek. "Our little girl…"

Rizzo leaned down and kissed her, brushing the tear away. "Our little girl."

The doctor smiled quietly, loving this part of his job, and let the couple look at their child for a few minutes more before switching off the machine and cleaning Krista's belly off. "Everything looks great—she's normal size and well developed…a healthy baby girl. She should start moving around soon, too."

Krista and Rizzo both grinned at that. "That'll be fun," he said.

The doctor laughed. "For you. But for Krista it'll get old when the little one starts doing gymnastics at 2am every morning."

Krista smiled at the thought, sniffling a little. "Well, thanks Doc," she said. "See you in a month?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I'll see you in a month."

The doctor left and Krista got dressed. Rizzo helped her off the exam table rubbing her belly gently.

"Now you're never going to let me do anything, are you?" she asked him laughing.

"I'll try and be good," he laughed back.

That evening they sat together on the floor in their living room, Rizzo leaning against the couch with his arms around Krista, who was leaning back against him. His hands rested on her abdomen and the smile he'd worn at the doctor's office remained on his lips.

"So what are we going to call our little baby bear?" he asked.

She placed her hands on his. "Well, she's Italian, Cuban, and Irish. Think we can work all that in?"

He laughed. "Actually I think we can. Spanish and Italian are a lot alike, so we just need to pick out something Latin to cover those…"

"And something Irish to complete the package."

They sat in thoughtful silence for a few minutes. "What about Angela?" he asked after a while.

"It's pretty, but Angela Eruzione?" Krista smiled. "She sounds like mob boss's daughter."

He laughed. "Well, she is part Italian…"

"How about Donna?"

"If we name her Donna I'll have that Richie Vallens song stuck in my head every time I see her."

It was Krista's turn to laugh. "It's a good song!"

"Yeah, but not for our daughter." He couldn't help but grin as he spoke the last words. "Kathleen?" he went on. "That's a nice Irish name."

"And the name of my niece," she reminded him.

"You have too many nieces…"

"That happens when you're one of eight children."

"Are we going to have that many?" he asked.

She grinned. "How 'bout we see how this pregnancy goes, then we'll talk."

He laughed again. "Okay." He thought for another minute before an idea struck him. "Why don't we use your middle name, snowflake?"

"Teresa? It's a nice name, but I don't want to name our daughter after me…"

"It fits the bill, though. The way it's spelled is the Spanish way, which is also the Italian way." He nuzzled her neck. "And I'd love our daughter to have her mother's name."

She laid her cheek against his. "You really want to use Teresa?"

He kissed her neck softly. "Yeah."

She didn't have to see the look on his face to know how much it meant to him. "Maybe as her middle name?"

"All right."

Krista smiled. "You really could talk me into anything, couldn't you?"

He kissed her again. "It's okay…you could talk me into anything, too."

"What about her first name, then?"

"Hmmm…something Irish…Erin?" he thought out loud.

"Erin Eruzione?"

"Yeah, okay, not Erin."

"Kelly is a family name…" she suggested.

"Kelly Teresa?" he asked, shaking his head.

She wrinkled her nose.

He kept trying. "Catriona…Cate…Caitlin…"

"I like Caitlin…" she chimed in.

"Caitlin Teresa Eruzione." Rizzo felt a movement under his hands. "Was that…?"

"She moved," Krista said smiling.

He nuzzled her again, gently rubbing her belly, and was rewarded with another flutter under his fingers. "That's her?" he asked quietly.

"That's her. I think she likes the name…"

He didn't say anything for a moment, and Krista turned in his arms. What she saw tugged at her heart. There was her husband, feeling his child move for the first time, a smile on his lips that was laced with happiness and left him totally unable to speak.

"Oh, honey…"

He looked down at his wife. "That's our little girl…" he managed in a husky voice.

She took his hand in hers and played with his wedding band. "Caitlin…our little baby bear."

He kissed her softly. "I love you so much…" he whispered. "My snowflake…my wife…and now, the mother of my child…"

"I love you too," she whispered in return, kissing him again. "You're going to make such a good father."

"You think so?" he asked uncertainly.

She looked at his hand still tenderly caressing her abdomen. "I know so."


	23. A Night In

_One more Krista & Rizzo before the baby comes, I think. This onewas inspired by my best friend's husband back in Michigan—he was the sweetest man while my friend was pregnant, and one of the stories she was telling me today triggered visions of our Teddy Bear and his very pregnant Snowflake. This one's all fluff and kind of short, but I thought you might enjoy it…_

Krista was sitting—as best she could at eight months pregnant—behind the teacher's desk finishing up the note she was leaving for the regular teacher when Rizzo walked into the room.

"Hey Snowflake," he said, walking over to her and kissing her gently. He then bent down and kissed her abdomen. "Hi sweetie."

She smiled, running her fingers through his hair.

"How's the littlest Eruzione doing?" he asked straightening up.

Krista rubbed her belly without even realizing it. "She's been kind of quiet today, actually. I don't think she likes geometry very much."

Rizzo laughed and caressed his child. "I never did, either." He kissed Krista again. "And how are you doing?"

She sighed, more heavily than she had intended. "Tired," she told him. She was always tired now.

"How 'bout we head home and you let me take care of you?"

"Okay…I'm almost finished here." She completed the note and stacked some papers into piles while he straightened the rows of the desks. After a few minutes they were out the door and in the car.

When they arrived home, he helped her out of the car and noticed the grimace on her face as she stood up. "Feet bothering you?" he asked.

She nodded. "They're pretty swollen today." The next thing she knew he was scooping her up in his arms and carrying her up the stairs to their apartment. "What are you doing?" she laughed.

"You're not walking up all those stairs," he smiled.

"Honey, you're going to hurt yourself—I'm the size of a house!"

He only laughed. "Light as a feather," he told her.

He carried her all the way up to their second floor apartment, unlocked the door, and brought her in to their bedroom.

"Wait," she told him as he moved to lay her on the bed. "I want to change my clothes first."

He carefully placed her feet on the floor and helped her off with her school clothes, slowly kissing her shoulder, running his hands down her back and hips and over her belly.

"Mmmmm," she closed her eyes and leaned back against him. "How do you always know exactly what to do to make me feel better?"

He grinned and kissed the nape of her neck. "I just can't help myself," he said. "My beautiful wife wants me to help her take her clothes off…"

She sighed. "I wish I had more energy…"

He kissed her ear, then her cheek. "It's okay," he said. "We'll do whatever you want to do tonight."

She sighed again, but smiled at how understanding he was. "What I _want_ to do and what I _can_ do are two different things."

He grinned and helped her into her favorite nightgown. "Hungry?" he asked when she was resting comfortably in bed.

"A little."

"Anything sound good?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Lucky Charms…"

"What is it with you and that cereal?" She had been craving it for the last six weeks.

"I like the leprechaun on the box," she grinned. "It reminds me of Neal in his North Stars uniform."

Rizzo grinned, too, as he went to get bowls and spoons, thinking of how his former teammate would have laughed at that remark.

He returned with bowls, spoons, a box of cereal, and a carton of milk. "Breakfast in bed," he told her.

"On a Friday evening," she replied, smiling happily.

They cuddled up together and polished off the box of cereal, then Rizzo took everything back out to the kitchen. When he returned, he took a seat at the end of the bed, taking her feet in his strong hands.

"A foot rub, too?"

"Of course," he told her. "You've been on your feet all day, and I know how achy they get."

He worked on her feet for the better part of an hour, watching the tension in her face slowly melt away.

"I have the best husband," she smiled.

He found a spot next to her and stretched out on the bed, drawing her close to him. "It's easy to be a good husband when I'm married to the love of my life," he said, smiling his old shy smile.

Krista took his hand and placed it on the baby. "She's moving again."

His face lit up, as it always did when he felt his child. "She's moving a lot."

"Caitlin is daddy's little girl already." Krista smiled softly, watching him. "She only moves this much when you're around."

"Our little Caity-bear," he said tenderly.

She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. "It's eight o'clock…"

Rizzo kissed his wife's abdomen, climbing off the bed. "I'll get the book…" When he returned, he was carrying _Goodnight Moon_ in one hand and in the other the teddy bear he had brought home the day they found out about the pregnancy. He crawled back onto the bed and got comfortable, resting his head in Krista's lap.

"Goodnight moon…" he began, holding the teddy bear. Krista played with his hair, the soft smile still on her lips as she listened to her husband read to their daughter.


	24. Caitlin

_This one is the arrival of Caitlin._

Krista had been uncomfortable all day long, which wasn't a surprise at this point in the pregnancy. What was a surprise was the mood she was in. All through the previous nine months she had been happy and smiling, even when being awakened at 2am when little Caitlin kicked her diaphragm and knocked the wind out of her. Today her mood had shifted; she was still up as early as ever, working around the apartment as best she could and helping Rizzo put the finishing touches on the nursery, but the discomfort she was feeling was written plainly on her face.

Rizzo kept glancing over at his wife as he hung the little mobile over the crib. He had already asked her several times if she was okay and knew she was tired of the question, but he felt compelled to ask it again anyway. "Sweetheart, are you sure you don't want to lay down for a little while? You might feel better."

Krista sighed and tried not to snap at him. She knew he was concerned and probably felt a little helpless, and she loved him for it, but she _was_ tired of answering the question. "I'm fine honey. Really."

Convinced she needed a break, he tried another approach, one she had used on him several times. "Well I was just thinking about taking a little nap myself, but I have such a hard time sleeping without you next to me…"

She smiled at both the sentiment and the tactic being used. "I'm surprised you get any sleep at all _with_ me next to you," she said. "I'm up constantly and keep tossing and turning…"

He went over to her and slid his arms around her from behind, pulling her close to him and running a hand over her abdomen. "I like knowing that you're there," he told her. "I love waking up beside you, even if it's twenty times in one night. I love being able to kiss you in your sleep and see you smile back at me when I do. And I really can't fall asleep without you in my arms."

The tight smile she had worn earlier was replaced with a softer version. "Well, if you can't sleep without me, then I guess I'd better lay down with you," she winked.

He kissed her neck and took her hand, leading her in to the bedroom. It took a few minutes for Krista to find a comfortable position, but Rizzo helped her get settled and found a spot next to her, wrapping an arm around her again despite the intense July heat. She leaned back against him, relaxing a little and realizing how tired she really was.

The pair managed to get a couple of hours of pretty good sleep until Krista was suddenly awakened. She sat straight up, reaching for her stomach.

Rizzo sat up almost as quickly. "What is it?" he asked, rubbing her back.

Krista winced a little. "Just a contraction…a little bit stronger than I've had before." He took her hand and she squeezed it a little. "I'm okay," she assured him.

He looked at the clock and noted the time, something that had become almost automatic. She was two weeks passed her due date, and timing contractions was second nature to him now. After a few deep breaths she relaxed.

"You okay?" he asked, brushing a lock of sweaty hair out of her eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. It wasn't that bad." She laid back down on the bed and tried to get comfortable again.

He laid down again, too, and slipped an arm around her waist, gently rubbing her belly. Just as he was drifting off again, a second contraction occurred. He could hear her breath catch and she reached for his hand to hold. He massaged her abdomen softly with his other hand and looked at the clock again.

"That's only seven minutes, snowflake," he said quietly when the contraction had subsided.

"Seven? Not close enough together yet," she said.

"But they're getting stronger, aren't they?"

"Can you tell?"

He kissed her shoulder. "You're trying not to let it show, but I can hear your breathing change, and I felt that last one."

They shifted positions slightly so that he was partially sitting up and she was leaning back against him. His left hand still held hers, playing with her wedding ring, while his right hand continued to stroke the baby.

Rizzo was fully awake now, but Krista was still dozing off, wondering how much sleep she would get in the next day or so if this were really it. Every seven or eight minutes her eyes would open wide and she'd tighten her grip on his hand a little, but the contractions didn't get any stronger or closer together.

As evening approached the pair finally gave up hope and decided to just try and go to sleep. Krista, with the help of her husband, slowly got changed and crawled back into bed, adjusting pillows and pushing off blankets, trying to find a position in which her belly and the sizzling temperature would still allow her some relief. Rizzo brought a fan over and pointed it squarely at her.

"Oh…that feels great," she told him.

He laughed. "Cool enough?"

She knew he was really asking if she was cool enough for him to hold her again. "Yeah," she smiled. Even the warm weather outside wasn't going to keep her from sleeping in the arms of her husband.

At about 2:00, Krista awoke to the sound of Rizzo's rhythmic breathing, expecting a heavy kick aimed at a vital organ, as had become Caitlin's custom. The kick never came, but what did come was another contraction, much stronger than any other she'd had that day. She sat part way up, breathing as she'd been taught and gently rubbing her stomach.

Rizzo had become a rather light sleeper in the passed few months, and woke up when she moved. "Everything all right?" he asked sleepily, reaching for her. When she didn't answer right away, he sat up in bed and slid an arm around her shoulders. "Snowflake?"

She took his hand and placed it on the baby where he could feel his daughter moving and Krista's muscles contracting. "This one's stronger," she told him through tight lips.

He made a note of the time and tried to keep her as relaxed as possible, holding her hand again and massaging her abdomen. Four minutes later another contraction hit. Four minutes after that, another one.

"Do you think we should go to the hospital?" he asked her quietly.

"Maybe…"

Her thought was cut off by yet another contraction. "That's four minutes again, sweetheart," he told her.

She nodded. "It's time."

Krista hauled herself out of bed and gathered her clothes, heading for the bathroom. "I think I'm going to hop in the shower real quick, though," she said.

"You're what?"

"I might not get one for a while, and with this heat I feel so grubby…"

_She's having contractions four minutes apart and she wants to take a shower?_ he thought. But he had learned early on in their relationship how pointless it could be to argue with a stubborn Irish woman, and a stubborn _pregnant_ Irish woman was even worse.

"Okay, but at least let me help you."

He grabbed some clothes of his own and followed her into the bathroom, adjusting the water temperature and helping her out of her nightgown.

"How much fun would this be if I wasn't in labor…" Krista smiled.

By the time they reached the hospital, the contractions were very strong and coming about three minutes apart. The nurses took Krista straight to a delivery room with Rizzo close on their heals. In 1983 some men were still inclined to wait outside while their wives gave birth, but the couple had decided earlier that he would be there with her when their daughter came into the world.

It took four more hours of coaxing, walking, massaging, pushing, and medication, but the newest Eruzione was finally ready to make her debut.

"One more push Krista," the nurse told her. "Just one more big push and you'll have your baby…"

Krista, exhausted and covered in sweat, moaned and looked up at her husband. "I don't know if I can do it…"

Rizzo squeezed her hand and tried to be as encouraging as he could. "I love you so much," he told her quietly, kissing her forehead. "You're _so_ strong, snowflake…I know you can do it."

"Yeah?" she asked weakly.

He smiled. "Yeah."

When the next contraction came she took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and pushed as hard as she could. Rizzo held her hand, nuzzling her cheek and supporting her with his other arm.

"Here she comes," the doctor said. "Just a little bit more…okay, stop pushing…I got her…"

Krista stopped pushing and held her breath, feeling the baby being pulled from her and waiting for a sign that she was all right. It seemed to take an eternity, and she looked up at her husband again, her blue eyes imploring him to tell her what was happening.

Then little Caitlin cried.

"Is she okay?" Krista asked, breathing again.

"She a perfect, healthy baby girl," the nurse said wrapping her in a pink receiving blanket and bringing her over to her parents.

Krista took her first, tears running down her face as the nurse rested her daughter on her chest. "She's here…"

Rizzo's eyes were brimming over, too. "She's beautiful," he said, carefully touching the little pink cap she wore and kissing the top of her head.

"Do we have a name?" one of the nurses asked smiling.

Krista was crying and laughing happily all at the same time so Rizzo answered. "Caitlin Teresa Eruzione," he grinned, wiping a tear from his cheek.

As though responding to her name, little Caitlin reached out her tiny fist and grabbed a hold of her father's finger. Once she had a secure grip, she calmed down and stopped crying. Rizzo, however, melted.

"She's daddy's little girl, isn't she?" the doctor smiled.

Krista finally pulled herself together enough to speak. "She's been daddy's little girl for a while now," she grinned, reaching up and brushing fresh tears from her husband's face.

"Our little Caity-bear is here," he told her, leaning down and kissing his wife tenderly. When he drew away, Caitlin started crying again. "What a mess we are," he laughed, sniffling. "The whole Eruzione family crying…"

Krista smiled. "She wants her father," she said, holding Caitlin out to him.

Rizzo sat down beside Krista on the bed and took his daughter in his arms, smiling proudly through the tears. Krista slid an arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey there sweetie," he whispered to his little girl. "I'm your daddy."


	25. Eric

_Here's a Krista & Rizzo that popped into my head one night as I was falling asleep. This one is a couple of years after Caitlin is born…_

It was a nice fall afternoon, unusually warm for New England at this time of year, and Krista was strolling around Boston Common with little Caitlin, now 2, and the newest addition to the family, Anthony Maguire Eruzione, who was just three months old. She sat down on a bench in a little park to feed the baby while Caitlin went to play on the swings. She took a bottle out of the diaper bag she carried and lifted Tony from his stroller.

"Krista Collins? Is that you?" a voice called from down the street.

Krista turned to see who it was, but didn't recognize any of the faces walking by on the sidewalk.

"Krista! It is you!" A tall, young-looking man said as he approached her.

"Eric?" Krista asked in amazement, recognizing her old boyfriend from college.

He smiled. "Yeah, it's me." He sat down on the bench beside her and made a move as if to hug her before noticing the baby she was holding, and had to settle for a gentle squeeze of her shoulder. "How have you been?"

"I've been good," she told him smiling, nodding toward little Tony.

"Yours?"

"Mmhmm. This is Tony and my little Caitlin is over on the swings."

Eric looked over at Caitlin. "She's beautiful, Krista…she has your smile."

Krista smiled. "Thanks."

"How funny it is that I should see you here. I was just thinking about you the other day…" Eric mused. "About how much I missed you and how good we were together."

"That's all in the past, Eric," she reminded him gently. "I'm a married woman now."

Eric smiled a little wistfully. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"He's a high school teacher and a hockey coach," she told him, noticing the slightly superior expression forming on his face. "We met in Minnesota, but he's from Winthrop, so we moved when he was offered a job out here."

"And what are you doing for a living these days?"

"I've been working as a substitute teacher for a few years now," she told him.

"A sub? Oh, Krista, you could do so much more than that," Eric replied sadly.

"I like being a sub," she said, bristling a little. "And it gives me the flexibility I need to take care of my family."

"But you were going to go to graduate school…"

"I'm still planning on going to grad school. We just don't have the money for it right now. My children need food and clothing more than I need a master's degree." She frowned and she decided to change the subject. "So what are you doing these days?"

"I'm a stock broker on Wall Street," Eric smiled. "Our firm has an office in Boston, so I travel here on business once or twice a month."

"A stockbroker? Very nice," she commented.

"Yeah, I have a townhouse in Manhattan and a little red BMW to drive around."

She ignored that and continued, "How about family? Have you found that special girl yet?"

"I found her once, but I was stupid and let her get away," he said quietly, brushing a hand across her cheek.

Krista gave him a disapproving look. "Eric, don't." They were quiet for a moment before she asked, "How are your parents? Sill have that cabin out in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota?"

Eric laughed a little. "Yeah, they do. Dad kept asking me for about a year after we broke up when I was going to invite you back."

Krista smiled, remembering the miserable week she'd spent in that cabin. She could easily adapt her more urban ways to the country, but, she used to joke, not to the last century. "Do you talk to them often?"

Eric nodded. "I do. Dad's retired now and he and mom spend most of their time golfing and gardening down in Florida."

His parents had always been like family to her, even after the breakup. "Say 'hi' to them for me the next time you speak to them."

"I will," he told her. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder again. "I should probably get back to the office. Would you mind if I called you sometime when I'm in town?"

"Let's get one thing straight here, first. We are not getting back together…"

"Of course not."

"You are not going to make me feel bad because we broke up. _You_ cheated on _me_, Eric, remember? You couldn't keep your hands off the sisters of Phi Kappa Delta."

Eric looked down at his shoes for a moment. "I know…"

"And I am a happily married woman with two children."

He looked at her again. "I know. And believe me, I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that for you. I just thought that maybe we could have coffee once in a while, like old friends."

"That's all?" she asked, unconvinced.

"That's all."

She nodded after a moment. "All right." She scribbled her phone number on a piece of paper he produced from his briefcase. "Don't call after 8:00 at night, though. That's when we start getting the kids ready for bed."

Eric smiled, envisioning her tucking the little ones in. "Okay. I gotta go…I'll be in town for a couple of more days, so I'll call you." He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, then rose from the bench and began to walk away. He paused after a few feet and turned around. "Do you ever think about what it would have been like if we'd stayed together?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. "I used to," she said softly. "I loved you, Eric. I would have stayed with you forever."

"You would?"

Krista nodded. "Back then, yes. But not anymore. I have a different life now, and I love my husband."

"But if you'd met us both at the same time, who would you have chosen?"

"I think it's time for you to leave," Krista told him firmly, not wanting to get into it with him again. "I need to take my children back home."

He nodded dejectedly. "Good-bye Krista."

She watched him walk away down the sidewalk for a minute, then gathered the kids' things and called Caitlin over for the walk back to the car.

When they arrived home, Rizzo was home from school, sitting on the living room floor surrounded by note cards.

"Working on the lineup for tomorrow's game?" Krista asked as she walked through the door.

Rizzo put down the cards he was holding and walked over to his wife, picking Caitlin up and kissing Krista softly. "Yeah…just trying to find some new line combinations that might work."

Krista grinned. "Channeling Herbie, again, eh?"

Rizzo laughed. "I guess I am."

"Mommy made a friend at the park today," Caitlin told her father with the impeccable timing of a toddler.

Rizzo looked at Krista. "A friend?"

"I ran into an old friend of mine at the park today," she told him.

"He kissed you!" Caitlin giggled.

"He what?"

Krista looked at her husband, who was not pleased. "He kissed me on the cheek when he left…it was nothing. I'll tell you all about it later, honey, I promise." She ran a hand over his shoulder and kissed him again.

Caitlin squirmed, and Rizzo put her down, kissing her on the top of the head. She ran off into her bedroom to play with her favorite toy—a hockey stick her father had modified to fit her small stature, complete with a little plastic puck.

Krista picked little Tony up out of the stroller and began to walk toward their bedroom where his crib was located.

"Wait a minute," Rizzo said, touching her shoulder. "Can we talk about this 'old friend'?"

"Let's put the little one down first," she said.

Rizzo followed her into the bedroom and stood beside her while she laid their son in the crib. They spent a few moments watching their second child sleep peacefully, but Rizzo didn't put his arm around his wife they way he usually did. Krista sighed.

"Why don't we go out into the living room," he said.

She nodded and let him lead her out to the couch. They sat down, smiling at the sound of Caitlin slapping her puck around her room.

Krista sighed again. "The guy in the park was an old boyfriend of mine," she said quietly, taking his hand again and playing with his wedding ring. "His name is Eric. We were together for a year and a half, and broke up eight or nine months before I even met you."

"This is the guy that cheated on you…" Rizzo replied, vaguely remembering being told the story.

Krista nodded. "Yeah. He's a stockbroker in New York now, and travels to Boston on business sometimes. He was cutting through the park this afternoon when the kids and I were there."

"And?"

"That's it. We talked for a few minutes while Caity played on the swings, he asked if we could have coffee sometime, and he kissed me good-bye on the cheek."

"Did you tell him you were married?" Rizzo asked.

"I wear your ring for a reason, honey," she smiled. "Of course I told him I was married. I said it several times, in fact."

Rizzo relaxed a little and slid an arm around Krista. He trusted her completely, but the old boyfriend he didn't. "He didn't ask you to leave me for him?" he smiled, trying to joke about it.

"Actually, he did hint at it," she replied, frowning. "He asked me who'd I'd have picked if I met you both at the same time."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"And what did you tell him?"

She laid her head on his shoulder. "I told him to leave."

Rizzo tightened his arm around her and fell silent.

"You want to know, too, don't you?" Krista asked after a while.

"Now I'm thinking about it…and I know how much you cared about him…"

Her expression turned thoughtful. "I loved him back then," she said softly. "But I wouldn't trade what I have with you for anything in the world."

"He could give you all the things I can't…the big house, a nice car, a nanny to help with the kids…"

Krista laughed. "I don't need any of those things," she said. "And he can't give me any of the things you can."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You love me more than he ever could," she told him kissing his shoulder. "You've given me two beautiful children, and no nanny could be as devoted to them as you are."

He smiled, thinking of the kids. "We still live in a tiny little apartment and drive cars that are at least ten years old," he persisted, the smile disappearing.

She reached up and touched his face. "No house or car could ever mean anything to me without you."

"You're happy with the way your life turned out?"

She smiled and kissed him, the long, soft, sweet kiss that they had only ever shared with each other. When she drew back he was smiling.

"I'll take that as a yes," he grinned.

A loud bang came from Caitlin's room, and they could hear her yell "score!"

Krista and Rizzo looked at each other and laughed.

"With a family like this, how could I _not_ be happy?"


	26. Another Birth

_While writing another part of Krista & Rizzo an idea popped into my head, so I went with this one first. They are getting ready to deliver the third child here. This one's a little longer than usual, and brace yourselves: it's kind of sad…_

Krista was in obvious pain as she lay in bed beside her husband in their new house. She'd done this twice before, but was a little worried this time around. Caitlin and Tony were asleep in their rooms, blissfully unaware of what was going on. Rizzo, however, was very conscious of the situation.

As he had with the other two kids, he wrapped his arms around Krista and massaged her abdomen gently. "How's that?" he asked quietly.

She was breathing shallowly and sweating despite the chilly March night. "That helps," she replied.

Rizzo was worried. Krista wasn't due for another month yet, and her contractions were coming awfully close together. "Snowflake, I think we should go to the hospital," he said.

She could here the concern in his voice, and was beginning to share it. "Okay…can your parents watch the kids?"

"You just stay here and relax, and I'll call them right now." He carefully climbed out of bed, grabbing a change of clothes as he headed for the phone. "Mom? Sorry I'm calling so late…"

"What's wrong?" his mother asked. No one called home at 3:00 in the morning unless something was wrong.

"Krista's having contractions…" he began.

"Take her to the hospital," Mrs. Eruzione interrupted. "Your father and I will be over in ten minutes."

"Thanks, mom," he replied. Rizzo hung up the phone and quickly got dressed. When he returned to the bedroom, Krista's face was contorted with pain and he went right to her, taking her hand.

"I think the baby's coming early," she panted.

"My folks will be here in a couple of minutes," he told her, trying to remain calm. "Let's get you dressed and ready, and we'll go as soon as they get here."

He helped her slowly out of bed and took her favorite maternity dress out of the closet. By the time she was dressed, his parents arrived and sent the couple directly out to the car.

They arrived at the hospital as they had both times before, with Rizzo doing his best to stay composed and Krista going through her breathing exercises. The nurse at the front desk immediately recognized the labor pains and grabbed a wheel chair.

"She's not due for four weeks yet," Rizzo told the nurse. "But she's been having strong contractions about five minutes apart."

"Okay, we'll take care of her," the Nurse told him.

They took Krista not to a delivery room, but to the emergency room, where nurses and doctors scrambled to find a fetal monitor and an I.V. stand. Rizzo and a nurse helped her change once again into a hospital gown, and got her connected to the fetal monitor. The on-call OB, Dr. Ellison, came in and examined her, studying the readouts on the monitor.

"Your baby's coming early, Krista," the doctor told her. "And it's breech."

Rizzo, standing beside his wife's hospital bed, took her hand. "Breech?"

The doctor nodded. "It's upside down. A baby can be delivered that way, but it's hard on both the child and the mother, and dangerous, too."

The beeping coming from the fetal monitor began to get faster.

"The baby is already pretty worked up…I think we need to do a C-section very soon."

Krista looked up at Rizzo with anxious eyes and tried to smile. "You're going to be a dad again."

Rizzo squeezed her hand and tried to smile himself. "Yeah. We'll have another little one in just a few hours."

The beeping from the fetal monitor accelerated again, and at the same time the reading on the blood pressure monitor attached to Krista's arm began to drop. Her free hand touched her abdomen as she began to fell lightheaded.

The doctor hurriedly examined Krista again. "She's hemorrhaging…" he told the nurse. "Call the O.R.—we're doing an emergency C-section _right now_."

Nurses quickly detached monitors and I.V.s and anything else that wasn't portable and wheeled Krista down the hall toward the elevator. Rizzo lost his grip on her hand as they took her out, and the last thing he saw of her was her long hair framing a very pale face.

"Where are you taking her?" he called after one of the nurses.

"Fifth floor…" the nurse called back.

Rizzo was terrified now, but made his way up to the fifth floor and managed a few coherent questions for the nurses at the front desk there. Because this was an emergency, he was not allowed to be in the room when his third child was born, but he found out which O.R. his wife was in and where he could wait for the doctor to come talk to him.

Rizzo paced the waiting room floor for an hour before he couldn't stand it any longer. He called his parents and explained to them what was happening. Then he called Krista's brother Tim.

"Hello?" Tim answered sleepily.

"Tim? It's Mike."

Michael was a common Collins family name and Tim was still half asleep. "Mike who?"

"Your brother-in-law, Tim. In Boston."

That got his attention. "Mikey…what's wrong?"

"It's Krista," Rizzo started, but found he couldn't finish.

"Oh my god, is she okay?"

Rizzo gathered himself together. "She went into labor and the baby's not due for four more weeks…she started bleeding, and they're doing an emergency C-section…" He could hear the fear creeping into his voice despite his best efforts not to let it.

Tim was fully awake now, trying to remain calm himself. "I can be on the next plane to Boston…"

Rizzo shook his head, even though Tim couldn't see him do it. "Not yet, Tim. Just talk to me until they tell me what's going on."

"Okay…" Tim stayed on the phone with Rizzo for another hour before a doctor came out of the operating room.

"Mr. Eruzione?" Dr. Ellison called, coming out of the operating room.

"The doctor's here Tim…I'll call you back in a few minutes." He hung up the phone. "Yes?" He turned away from the phone, trying to read the doctor's face.

"They're taking your wife to the recovery room Mr. Eruzione."

"How is she? Is the baby okay?"

"Your wife lost a lot of blood, and she's very weak, but she going to be fine."

A relieved expression crossed Rizzo's face for a moment. "The baby?"

"The baby was under a lot of stress during the procedure, and he's four weeks early. He's having some respiratory problems and he's pretty small, but he has a very good chance of survival. He's in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit now."

"So you're telling me that I'll have my wife and child home with me soon?"

"Your wife, yes, in a few days. Your son may be staying with us for a while, but I'm pretty confident you'll be taking him home too."

"My son?"

"No one told you?" the doctor asked.

"No," Rizzo answered. "Every time we went in for an ultrasound the baby was turned so that the doctor couldn't tell us the gender."

Dr. Ellison smiled. "Congratulation, then, Mr. Eruzione. You have a brand new son."

Rizzo smiled for the first time that night.

"Your wife is still asleep from the anesthesia, but if you'd like to visit the NIC-U, Sherri can take you there," the doctor said, gesturing to one of the nurses at the desk.

Rizzo nodded. "Okay. Wait! I need to call my parents and my brother-in-law first…" He quickly placed the calls and assured everyone that both mother and baby were out of immediate danger, then turned back to the nurse. "Okay."

She led him down the hall and through a set of double doors to a room of incubators containing tiny babies connected to monitors and I.V.s.

"Do you want to hold him?" the nurse asked, smiling.

"Can I?"

She smiled again. "You'll have to change into scrubs and he can only be out of the incubator for a few minutes."

He nodded obediently and she sent him off to change. When he returned wearing green surgical scrubs, she took him into the NIC-U to an incubator marked "Baby Boy Eruzione". He was connected to a heart-rate monitor and a tiny tube carried oxygen to his nose, so the nurse had to play with the wires and tubing to get them to reach out of the incubator. In a few moments time, though, Rizzo was holding his son in his arms.

"Hey little guy," he whispered softly, tears forming in his eyes. "I hear you aren't feelin' too well…" He sniffed, trying not to break down. "I won't keep you out long, 'cause you need your rest, but I wanted to come and see you." He sniffled again, and a tear slid down his cheek. "I'll bring your mom down soon, too. She's going to want to see what a handsome little boy you are…"

The nurse came back over and helped him put the littlest Eruzione back in the incubator. "You can sit here with him until your wife wakes up," she told him gently, pulling up a rocking chair.

Rizzo sat in the rocking chair—for how long he wasn't sure, but it seemed like an eternity. Eventually, though, another nurse came to get him and took him to Krista's room.

She was lying in bed, pale and weak, looking as though she might break if he touched her. "Hey snowflake," he said walking over to her bedside, feeling tears well up in his eyes once more.

She smiled softly and took his hand. "My teddy bear."

He sat down in a chair next to the bed and squeezed her hand gently. "How are you feeling?"

She noticed the worried expression on his face and thought of their child. "I'm all right," she told him. "Is the baby okay? They won't tell me anything…"

Rizzo smiled, sniffing. "He's okay…pretty small, and they said he's having some breathing trouble. The doctor said it might be a while before we can take him home, but he should be all right."

"He? It's a boy?"

Rizzo nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek.

"And he's really…alive?"

He nodded again, unable to hold himself together any longer. The tears started to run down his face and Krista reached up and wiped them away.

She felt tears welling up in her own eyes. "Oh, honey…"

"I thought I was going to lose you both," he told her, crying freely now. "I was so afraid…"

She drew him to her and he buried his face in her shoulder. She cried with him, stroking his hair softly and holding him in her arms.

Later, after Krista had received approval from the doctors, Rizzo took her down to the NIC-U to see their son. He carefully helped her into the rocking chair he had used earlier while the nurse arranged the wires and tubes around the incubator. There were still a few more tears left in Krista's eyes, and they slid down her cheeks as the nurse laid the baby in her arms.

"He's so small," she sniffled.

Dr. Ellison came in to the NIC-U just then on his morning rounds. "How is our little patient doing?" he smiled.

Krista brushed the tears from her face. "He's alive and breathing, thanks to you," she smiled.

The doctor came over and did a quick examination. "His heart sounds better," he said. "And he looks a little bit pinker."

Rizzo grinned, relieved to be getting good news. "I don't know how to thank you, doc."

"Believe me, it was my pleasure," Dr. Ellison told him. "I'm just happy to have helped."

Krista looked up at her husband. "Our son still needs a name, honey." Her eyes flickered to the doctor.

Rizzo smiled again, reading her thought. "Dr. Ellison, what's your first name?"

The doctor smiled shyly. "You don't have to…"

"You saved my wife and son today," Rizzo told him. "We'd be honored if you'd allow us to use your name for our child."

"It's Thomas," the doctor replied, grinning.

The three adults looked down at the little one, wrapped in his blue blanket with his little knit cap.

"Thomas…" Rizzo repeated, looking down at his wife.

"Michael," Krista added, looking up at her husband. "You and Tim have the same middle name."

Rizzo nodded, kneeling down beside the rocking chair and gently touching Thomas's little head. "Yeah. Thomas Michael Eruzione."

"I wish I could tell you that you can take him home soon, but I'm just not sure when he'll be ready to leave."

"Look on the bright side," Krista smiled, ever the optimist. "If he has to spend some time here, maybe little Thomas will grow up to be a doctor, too."


	27. Reunion

_I used real info whenever I could find it for this one, but a lot of the family stuff I made up--we'll just call it_ historical _fiction ;)_

They were all together again ten years after Lake Placid. Well, almost all together. Bill Baker was in the process of becoming an oral surgeon and couldn't get away from school, and Mark Pavelich was right in the middle of _something _he couldn't leave up in Northern Minnesota. But the rest of the team was there with their families, wandering around in the bright June sun near Boston Harbor.

Krista and Rizzo sat on the bench at their special place near the edge of the Harbor, resting Krista's swollen feet and watching their three children--Caitlin, 7, Tony, 5, and little Tommy, now 2-- play on some nearby swings.

"You're pregnant again?" a female voice called from behind them.

Krista turned. "Gail! How long has it been?"

Gail Schneider made her way over to Krista almost skipping with delight, followed by her grinning husband. "It's been too long," Gail told her friend. "And I think you were this big, then, too," she joked.

Krista laughed. "This is what happens when you marry an Italian," she said, trying her best to rise from the bench and hug Gail.

Rizzo looked at Buzz and the two men grinned. "At least you've been keeping busy," Buzzy told Rizzo, sliding an arm around Krista's shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze.

"So when are you due?" Gail asked.

Rizzo answered that one. "About two weeks," he said proudly, taking his wife's hand in his.

"Where are the boys?" Krista asked. "Caitlin's been wondering when she'd get a chance to see Neal again. They had so much fun together last summer when we came out to Minnesota."

"Oh, here they are…" Buzz said, as the boys came running up to their parents. "Boys, you remember…"

"Aunt Krista!" Billy shouted.

"And Uncle Rizzo!" Neal chimed in. "Are Caity and Tony here?"

Krista and Rizzo hugged them both. "Yep, they're right over here with Tommy," Krista told them, motioning to the swings.

"Is he still sick?" Neal asked.

"He's a lot better than the last time you saw him, but he still needs to be careful."

"We'll watch him," Billy smiled, and he and Neal hurried over to their Eruzione friends.

"Wow, I can't believe how big they've gotten," Krista grinned. "Neal's seven, right?"

"Yep, he's the same age as Caitlin," Gail told her. "And Billy's nine now. He's playing little league baseball this summer."

Rizzo laughed at that. "So is Caitlin…there isn't a team for girls her age, so she's playing with the boys."

"Are you up for some walking?" Gail asked Krista. "There's a bunch of hockey players over at the park that are dying to see you again."

Krista grinned. "I think I can manage."

The two couples signaled to the kids to follow them and headed over toward Christopher Columbus Park where they ran into more familiar faces.

"OC!" Krista hollered, seeing him first.

He grinned and came over to see her. "Krista! How have you been?"

"I'm good," she told him, allowing him to plant a kiss on her cheek. "How are you?"

"Pretty good, too. But Liz is a mess..."

"Why? What happened?" Krista asked, concerned. Elizabeth O'Callahan had been a friend of hers at the U when she was Elizabeth Kaminski. She had run into OC in Chicago when he was a Blackhawk and had hit it off immediately. The rest, as they say, was history.

OC grinned. "Morning sickness."

"She's pregnant? Congratulations!"

Rizzo laughed and slapped his old teammate on the back. "Oh, great...another O'Callahan."

OC's grin grew. "That's right, the first of many I hope. And speaking of kids, is this herd yours?"

"Three of them are," Krista laughed. "The girl and the two little boys…"

"I might have known," he laughed. "The boys look just like Rizzo."

"The other two are ours," Buzzy said, shaking OC's hand.

"You're kidding! Are you old enough to have kids that big?"

Gail laughed. "Well, he is…" she gestured toward her husband.

The next thing Krista knew, there was a strong set of arms around her shoulders, and she turned to see who they belonged to.

"Mac!" she cried throwing her arms around him. "It's so good to see you!"

"Hey there," he grinned. "I see you've been keeping busy," he said rubbing her abdomen.

She laughed. "Yeah, well, it's cold in Massachusetts, and the winters are pretty long. We had to find something to do…"

Mac laughed with her. "Good thing you didn't stay in Minnesota, then, or you'd have twelve kids by now."

Rizzo grinned as he embraced his former teammates. "Well, one more after this and we'll have a hockey team."

"Except for the goalie," Jimmy Craig called, strolling over with his wife Sharlene.

"Maybe we can work on that," Rizzo laughed.

More greetings were exchanged and wives and children were introduced to each other before the group made it's way over to the picnic area that had been set up in the park. They laughed and talked, catching up with friends they hadn't seen in several years in some cases. The kids played together, and someone brought out baseball bats and balls, trying to get together a game. Caitlin saw these and immediately came running over to her parents, followed by Billy and Neal.

"Can I play, daddy?" she asked looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

Rizzo immediately crumbled, as he always did when his daughter asked for something, but was woried about her getting hurt. "I don't know honey, there aren't too many kids playing..."

"Neal's going to play," she tried again. "And I'm just as old as he is."

Rizzo looked at Krista. "What do you think?"

"We always tell her she can do anything boys can do," Krista grinned.

Billy came over to lend his support. "She can play in the outfield with me, Uncle Rizzo," he said. "I'll keep an eye on her."

That did the trick. Krista nodded her consent and Rizzo smiled. "Okay Caity-bear, you can play."

She smiled happily and trotted back out to the makeshift field with Billy and Neal, joining Bah and his 8-year-old son Chris out in left field.

After a while the picnic began to wind down and the group moved over to Boston Garden for a little ice skating. Rizzo helped Tony and Tommy with their little skates, while Caitlin insisted on tying her own. Mac persuded Krista to give it a try, too, and helped her get her skates on.

"I don't know how this is going to go," she smiled. "I haven't skated pregnant in two years."

Liz hadn't made the trip out from Chicago with her husband, and Rizzo was skating with the kids, so OC offered her his arm and helped her onto the ice.

"You can hang on to me," he smiled. "I need to practice with pregnant women."

Krista laughed, but needed his support to make it around the rink a couple of times before she adjusted to the extra weight of the baby. Before long, though, she was keeping up with the rest of the boys, skating arm in arm with her husband and playing with their children. Then Bah skated by and gave her a hockey stick.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Usually it's for scoring goals," he grinned. "Unless I'm holding it."

She laughed. "Are we playing?"

"Absolutely," Bah replied. "What kind of hockey players would we be if we didn't play hockey once in a while?"

"Are you sure you should play?" Rizzo asked his wife.

She smiled. "Honey, I played with you out on the rink in the back yard when I was pregnant with the other kids," she reminded him.

"But I didn't check you into the glass so hard I dislocated your shoulder," he told her.

"Look, that only happend once, and it was ten years ago..." Mac started.

Krista laughed at the memory. The boys had gotten together a pick-up game after practice sometime in the fall of '79 and had invited her to play. Mac had gotten a little over-zealous when chasing the puck and slammed her into the glass, sending her to the emergency room escorted by a group of slightly shaken future Olympians. She was fine, suffering just a dislocated shoulder that she kept in a sling for a couple of weeks, but the boys never let Mac live it down.

"Do you really think for one second that any of these boys are going to forget that I'm nine months pregnant?" she asked her husband.

Seeing how much she wanted to play, and knowing she probably would anyway, he relented. "Okay, but let's make it no-check," he told Bah.

"Deal," Bah replied. The kids cleared the ice and climed up into the stands with the wives and girlfriends who weren't playing, and the boys split up into two teams with Krista playing opposite Rizzo. They lined up against each other for the faceoff and he noticed her wincing a little.

"You okay?" he whispered.

She leaned against him. "Yep, just the little one kicking."

He smiled. "He does that whenever you touch a hockey stick."

"I think he wants to play, too," she grinned.

The puck dropped and the game began. Mac was playing on Kirsta's line and won the draw, so Krista started out heading up the wing, manuevering as well as she could. They spent a few minutes in their offensive zone before Rizzo picked up the puck Krista was responsible for covering him, so she skated backwards watching him move with the puck. He grinned at her and tried to make a move past her, but after ten years she knew all his moves and tied him up with her stick.

"Gotchya," she laughed.

They struggled with each other a bit before the puck came loose and Rizzo chipped it over to Bah, who was playing on his line. Krista let her husband go, but followed closely after him. When the puck came back their way again a moment later, Krista scooped it up and skated toward the other net. She made it to the blue line, then stumbled reaching for her abdomen.

Rizzo rushed over to her. "Snowflake, are you all right?"

She allowed him to slid an arm around her, but insisted that she was okay. "It's just a contraction, honey, that's all." she smiled. "I guess I don't get to play after all."

OC had been nearest to her and, with Rizzo, helped her carefully up. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she told him. "I just need to sit down."

Rizzo was relieved, but after Tommy's traumatic birth, he was still afraid. "We should go to the hospital."

The rest of the boys had crowded around by now and were also feeling a mixture of relief and worry.

"Maybe that's a good idea," Jimmy chimed in.

"Not yet," Krista told them all. "It was just one..." she stopped in mid-sentence, grimacing.

"That's two," OC told her.

"Only a couple of minutes apart," Buzz said.

Krista laughed a little as the second contraction subsided. "If I have this baby today, it's going to be a team effort, isn't it?"

The boys chuckled nervously, and Krista allowed Rizzo and OC to skate her slowly over to the door and off the ice. They sat her down on a nearby chair and Mac hurried over to get her skates off.

"Where are the kids?" Kirsta asked.

Gail, who had been sitting in the stands with her boys and the Eruzione children, brought the little pack over.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" little Tommy asked plaintively, holding Caitlin's hand.

Krista reached over and ruffled his hair. "I'm okay sweetie," she told him with a smile. "I think your little brother is coming today."

Tommy smiled and patted her stomach. "Tell him to hurry."

She laughed. "Okay..." Another contraction gripped her and she clenched her teeth, trying to stay relaxed.

"That's three contractions inside of just a few minutes," Rizzo said firmly. "You're going to the hospital."

"We'll take care of the kids," Gail volunteered. "You go."

Krista nodded, and Rizzo helped her to her feet and out to the car. They made it to the hospital quickly, and the nurses once again whisked Krista into the Emergency Room and attached a fetal monitor to her abdomen.

Rizzo knelt by her bedside, memories flooding back from the last time they were here. Krista saw the look on his face even through her contractions and took his hand.

"It's going to be okay," she told him softly.

He pressed her hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I hope so."

Dr. Ellison, who had delivered Tommy, was still on staff, and came in to examine Krista. Quick greetings where exchanged, and the doctor checked her over.

"Everything looks fine," he smiled.

Rizzo had been holding his breath without realizing it. "Oh, thank God."

"We even have time to get you up to Maternity this time," the doctor continued. "Although this baby is pretty anxious to meet you."

Then nurses hurried Kirsta up to a delivery room just as seventeen of Rizzo's former teammates entered the hospital with families in tow.

"Everything okay?" OC called.

Rizzo looked at Krista. "Go talk to them," she smiled. "We'll wait for you."

He leaned down and kissed her, then watched the nurses take her to the elevator, heading over to the large group that had congregated in the ER.

"Everything's fine," he smiled. "The little one's in a hurry to be born is all."

They all stood around for a moment looking relieved.

"Well, we're all here if you need us," Jimmy said. "And we left a message for Herb to meet us here..."

"Thanks guys," Rizzo said appreciatively.

Then Mac piped up. "What are you still doing here, Rizzo?" he scolded, laughing a little. "Get up there before your kid is born!"

Rizzo smiled broadly. "She's on the second floor..." he called as he ran back down the hallway.

The group made its way up to the Maternity Ward's waiting room and managed to amuse themselves for a few hours. Finally Rizzo emerged with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Well?" Bah asked.

"Eight pounds, ten ounces...he's a healthy baby boy," Rizzo reported barely containing his excitement. The boys all shook his hand and slapped his back, offering their congratulations. He found Caitlin, Tony, and Tommy and hugged them tightly. "How would you like to meet your little brother?"

The kids jumped up and down excitedly.

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed, leading them into the delivery room.

Later that day, after some much needed rest, the wives, girlfriends and children took turns visiting with Krista while the boys gathered around the window overlooking the nursery.

Rizzo went in and brought out his son.

"He's so small," OC said softly.

Rizzo smiled. "He's actually pretty good sized for a newborn."

"Look at those little hands..." That was Jimmy.

"And his tiny feet..." Mac continued.

The fathers among the group looked at each other and smiled.

"Wait 'til you have your own," Buzz grinned.

Just then, Herb came striding down the hall. "The ladies told me I'd find you all here," he smiled.

A chorus of "Coach!" rang out through the corridor.

"Just in time," Rizzo told him, still grinning.

"In time for what?" Herb asked, coming over.

"To hold little Robert Paul."

Herb looked at Rizzo, a little surprised. "Paul is _my _middle name."

Rizzo nodded. "I know," he said lightly. He laid the baby carefully in Herbie's arms, watching his old coach melt.

"Hey there little guy," Herbie cood. "What position are you going to play?"

The boys laughed and began to disperse, givng Rizzo some time alone with Herbie and the newest Eruzione.

Herb looked at Rizzo. "You're sure after all I put you through that you want to give your son my name?"

Rizzo grinned. "You know, when Krista and I were trying to pick out names, we got to talking about our time in Minnesota. The thing that stuck out most in my mind was how hard you worked us..."

Herbie laughed.

"But what Krista remembered most was playing pick-up games with us after practice when she wasn't working, and visiting us in the locker room after games she came to, and how we didn't have a curfew...We always thought we were getting away with things you wouldn't let us do, but you knew all along." Rizzo paused for a minute, choosing his words. "You let us have her, Coach. We needed someone to play cheerleader for us and to keep our spirits up, and you let us have her."

Herb smiled softly. "There was a method to my madness."

Rizzo laughed. "There was, we just never knew it." Then he turned serious. "For that, for being a great coach, for teaching me how to be a good man...for a lot of things, we want little Bobby to have your name."

Herbie looked down at the baby in his arms. Okay," he said smiling. "But let his mother teach him how to skate."


	28. An Eruzione Christmas

_Another one that's really just fluff--not much of a plot at all--but I think it's kinda cute. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it..._

"Come on guys, let's get your coats on," Krista was saying to the kids as they ran around the house looking for mittens, scarves, and boots. "Grandma and Grandpa are waiting for us."

Nine-year-old Caitlin was packing the diaper bag for her mother, while seven-year-old Tony was helping his four-year-old brother Tommy put on his coat. Rizzo came into the living room carrying the youngest of the bunch, two-year-old Bobby, just up from his nap.

Krista walked over to her husband and youngest son, kissing them both. "Ready to go see Grandma and Grandpa?" she asked Bobby.

He rubbed his brown eyes sleepily and nodded. "Yeah."

She looked up at Rizzo and they shared a smile. After Tommy's traumatic birth they had wondered if more children were still in their future, but little Bobby had arrived safely, with no complications.

She kissed Bobby again. "Still sleepy, aren't you sweetie?"

Rizzo laughed. "Well you know how long that'll last."

Krista grinned. "I wonder who he gets that from?" she laughed.

Rizzo kissed his wife again. "I have no idea, honey…" he told her, still laughing.

The couple managed to corral all four kids, get them bundled up against the cold Massachusetts winter, and packed into the car for the ride over to Rizzo's parents' house. With a week left until Christmas they still had a few things to take care of, and Mr. and Mrs. Eruzione had offered to babysit their grandchildren for the evening.

When they arrived at the house, the kids piled out of the car and stormed the front door. Caitlin carried the diaper bag she had so carefully packed, Tony helped Tommy out of his booster seat, and Bobby took off running as soon as Rizzo lifted him from his car seat.

"Slow down!" Krista called after him, laughing.

Rizzo's mother heard the kids coming and opened the door for them, hugging them all as they crowded into the house.

"Grandma!" all four yelled throwing their arms around her.

"Oh, my grandbabies," she smiled broadly.

Krista and Rizzo made it to the door at that point. "Hi Mom," he said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Mikey," she said, kissing her son on the cheek as he squeezed her shoulders. "And Krista..."

Krista hugged her mother-in-law. "Hey there," she smiled. "Thanks so much for taking the kids tonight."

"It's our pleasure," Mrs. Eruzione told them. "The more time we get to spend with them, the better."

"Where's Dad?" Rizzo asked.

"He's shoveling off the rink in the back yard," his mother laughed.

The kids perked up at that.

"Can we go skating?" Tommy asked.

Mrs. Eruzione laughed. "Your skates are in the upstairs closet..."

All four kids took off running through the house.

"Don't forget your inhaler," Krista called after Tommy.

"Well, so much for good-byes," Rizzo laughed.

The couple took their leave and headed out to fight the Christmas shopping crowd at the mall.

"Okay, so what do we have to get?" Rizzo asked, taking Krista's hand in his as they walked down the corridor.

She smiled. Even after eleven years of marriage he still held her hand as shyly as he had when they were dating. "Well," she began, "we need to get some things for the kids' stockings yet, and batteries for some of the toys..."

"The jewler called, too," he told her, suddenly remembering. "The bracelet we ordered for mom came in."

She nodded. "Okay, we'll stop by there, too."

They went to the toy store first, fighting for the last package of batteries and combing though matchbox cars. Then they moved over to the department store to pick out ties for the boys to wear to Christmas mass.

"Think Tony's ready for something without a clip?" Krista asked.

Rizzo smiled softly. "Yeah, I think he is. Dad got me my first real tie when I was about his age."

She pictured her husband and their oldest son tying their ties together and shared his smile. "Tony's a lot like you, you know," she said, kissing his shoulder. "They way he looks after Tommy, he's so sweet...and he looks so much like you."

He slid his arm around her. "But he has your taste in music already," he grinned. "I found him digging though our collection the other day and he had a couple of Motown records picked out to listen to."

She laughed. "I play them so much I'm surprised he isn't sick of them yet."

"Nope," Rizzo laughed with her. "He loves 'em...probably 'cause you do."

"He _is _a little bit of a mama's boy," she replied smiling. "And Caitlin is daddy's little girl."

"And Tommy and Bobby would be completely happy running around outside all day without us," he finished still laughing.

"Yeah..." Krista picked up a small tie and sighed. "And they're already growing up so fast."

Rizzo kissed his wife on the cheek. "We could always have another one," he smiled slyly.

She laughed again. "You're 38 years old, dear," she told him. "And I'm 34..."

"Just a thought," he said, still smiling.

They found three ties for the boys and a new headband for Caitlin, then headed to the candy store, picking out pepermint sticks and Jelly Bellies for the kids' stockings. As they walked up to the cashier, Rizzo picked up a small box of chocolates, too.

"Who are those for?" Krista asked getting in line.

"Sweets for my sweet," he smiled shyly, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes and kissing her gently.

"You are so cute," she told him running a hand over his cheek and kissing him lightly. "My teddy bear..."

Standing behind them in line a woman cleared her throat, and Krista and Rizzo turned around.

"So how long have you two been dating?" the woman asked.

Krista laughed. "Actually, we're married," she said.

"Then you must be newlyweds," the woman insisted.

Rizzo grinned. "Nope, we've been married for eleven years," he said proudly.

The woman shook her head and the couple took their turn at the register. "You're a lucky one," she told Krista. "Hang on to him."

Krista smiled as the cashier rang up their items. "I am lucky, aren't I?"

Rizzo took Krista's hand again, and the pair headed back out into the mall.

"We need to call your dad," Krista said.

"What for?"

"He wanted us to pick up a Christmas present for your mom, but I can't remember what store he said it was at."

"Okay."

They found the bank of pay phones tucked away in a corner and made a quick call to Mr. and Mrs. Eruzione, getting the details on the mysterious gift.

When Krista hung up the phone and turned back around, Rizzo wrapped his arms around her.

"To the jewlery store next?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Maybe while we're there, we can bring something home for you," he smiled kissing her cheek.

"Honey, I don't need any more jewlery..."

"Well, maybe a necklace..." he began, kissing her neck softly. "Or some earrings..." he nibbled on her earlobe.

She giggled a little and ran her fingers through his hair. "Do you know how much I love you?"

He kissed her lips again before answering. "Must be a lot," he laughed. "You've been with me for thirteen years altogether and you're not sick of me yet."

"Thirteen years exactly on Christmas day," she grinned, remembering their first kiss.

"I still can't believe the boys gave you mistletoe," Rizzo mused.

"They knew how we felt about each other, and wanted to get us together."

He smiled broadly. "Well, I'm glad they did," he told her, kissing her one more time. "I love you too, snowflake."

They walked to the jewlery store arm in arm and gave the clerk the name the order was being held under. He returned with the bracelet for Mrs. Eruzione and a small gold box.

"What's that?" Krista asked as her husband took the box from the clerk.

Rizzo grinned. "The kids made me promise not to tell you," he said. "But you'll find out on Christmas."

"The kids made you promise?" she winked.

"Yeah," he told her very seriously. "Bobby even made me pinkie swear."

"Wow," she laughed. "Then I guess I'll just have to wait."

He smiled again and slid his arm around her waist. "Do we need anything else while we're out?"

She laid her head on his shoulder briefly, thinking. "Nope," she decided. "Let's go see our kids."

When they pulled into the Eruziones' driveway, there was only a single light left on in the front room; the rest of the house was dark.

"I bet they're out back still," Rizzo smiled.

"Probably. They never want to come in at home, either," Krista replied.

"Let's go out there with 'em," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

She grinned. "Any excuse to go skating, eh?"

"Any excuse to spend time with my family," he said softly.

She kissed him lightly and together they managed to find the pairs of skates they had left there for just such an occaison. They headed quietly out back, where Mr. Eruzione had flooded a large patch of the yard for the kids to skate on when they came to visit, and slipped on the skates. Taking Krista's hand again, Rizzo led her out onto the ice and crept up behind their children, wrapping his arms around all four of them in a giant bear hug.

"Daddy!" they all yelled, throwing their arms around him and hugging back. Then, when Krista skated over, "Mommy!"

"Where are Grandma and Grandpa?" he asked, not seeing his parents.

"Grandma is making hot chocolate and Grandpa went to go get a shovel," Caitlin informed her father. "'Cause it's snowing again."

"So it is," Krista smiled. "We always seem to be out in it, too."

Rizzo smiled softly at his wife. "We do, don't we snowflake?"

"Come on," Tommy urged, breaking into the conversation. "Skate!"

The pair smiled at each other. "Okay, Tommy, okay," Rizzo said laughing.

"Ride, Daddy, ride!" Bobby told him, tugging on his coat.

Krista lifted their youngest son onto his father's shoulders and took Caitlin's hand as Tony skated in front of them, keeping a close watch on Tommy.

Mr. Eruzione had found his shovel and walked over to his wife, who had returned with the hot chocolate. He slipped an arm around her and the two watched their son and daughter-in-law skate with their family.

"He's a good father, isn't he?" Mr. Eruzione said quietly.

Mrs. Eruzione smiled. "And a good husband," she told him. "He should be--learned everything he knows from you."

All four kids attacked Rizzo and pinned him down in a snowbank, assisted by their mother. He laughed, so hard in fact that he couldn't get back up. Instead, he pulled Krista down beside him and tickled the kids until they pleaded for him to stop.

"Well," Mr. Eruzione said, squeezing his wife's shoulders, "he was lucky enough to find someone he loves as much as I love you."

She kissed him on the cheek and smiled. "See what I mean? He had a good role model."

The kids finally piled off their parents and headed back out onto the ice sill laughing. Rizzo climbed out of the snowbank and helped his wife up after him.

"Remember the first time we skated on a dark rink?" Krista asked when she got to her feet.

"Our first date," Rizzo grinned, taking her hand and heading back out onto the ice. "You made me chase you down and catch you before I could kiss you."

"I did," she laughed.

"Are you going to make me chase you again tonight?"

She smiled playfully. "I might. Why?"

This time he laughed. "'Cause now I have help!"

All four kids flew over, giggling, and surrounded the couple, making it impossible for Krista to skate away. Rizzo wrapped his arms around her, grinning broadly.

"I've got you now," he told her with a laugh.

She smiled softly and touched his cheek. "I'm all yours."

He leaned in and kissed her gently for a moment. Then the kids interrupted.

"Ewww," Tommy said, wrinkling up his nose.

Little Bobby nodded emphatically. "Yeah, eww."

"Yeah, come on," Tony grumbled.

"We're supposed to be skating here..." Caitlin chimed in.

Rizzo kissed Krista one more time then shared a look with her. "Skating, huh?" he asked his daughter. "How fast can you skate, Caity-bear?"

Caitlin looked suspicious. "I don't know, Daddy..."

"I guess we'll find out," he grinned moving toward her.

The kids scattered around the ice as Krista and Rizzo chased them, laughing like children themselves and silently saying thankful prayers for their healthy, happy family.


End file.
